After President Donald Trump vowed to retake possession of the Panama Canal, built and paid for by the United States but given away by then-President Jimmy Carter, a key U.S. House committee reveals the extent to which Communist Chinese interests control the waterway.
The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Committee reports Chairman James Comer (R-KY) “is launching an investigation into the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) expanding influence in Panama, particularly surrounding the strategic operations of the Panama Canal.”
The Panama Canal was built and paid for by the United States between 1904 and 1914 and is key to the United States’ economy and national security, as it allows merchant and naval vessels to access both U.S. coasts without having to travel around South America.
However, control of the Canal was ceded by then-President Jimmy Carter in 1997, with Panama taking full control under then-President Bill Clinton in 1999.
Since then, Communist Chinese-controlled interests now operate both of the canal’s entry points.
“In a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy, Chairman Comer emphasized that any malign influence by the CCP undermining Panama Canal operations poses a serious threat to American economic and national security and requested a staff-level briefing to understand how the DOT plans to counter Chinese influence in Panama,” the Committee reports.
“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is examining the Chinese Communist Party’s interference and influence in Panama. Given the Panama Canal’s strategic importance to the United States, any potential malign influence or outright interference in Panama by the CCP is cause for significant concern. Therefore, the Committee asks the Department of Transportation to provide a staff-level briefing to address how it plans to counter Chinese influence in Panama and ensure the security and neutrality of the canal is maintained. The Panama Canal hosts approximately 40 percent of the United States container traffic, which accounts for roughly $240 billion annually in trade,” Comer writes.
“Panama maintains a policy of neutrality regarding the canal, a result of the treaty signed that turned ownership from the United States to Panama. On the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the canal sit two ports, both owned and operated by Hutchison—a Hong Kong shipping corporation. Hutchison ports have repeatedly been implicated in the smuggling of fentanyl precursors into the Americas, and its owner, Li Ka-Shing, is a member of Chinese organized crime syndicates that work to advance the interests of the CCP in the west. In March of 2025 Hutchison announced it would sell its 90 percent share in Panamanian ports,” Comer adds.
“Following the announcement, the CCP expressed fury at the sale, and while initially stating they would block it, China has now instead resorted to watching the sale closely to ensure the company operating the ports is not American. While Panama has expressed interest in expelling CCP influence from the country, evidenced by their termination of the Chinese belt-and-road initiative in Panama, the situation is still tenuous and requires oversight,” Comer concludes.
The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
Is Pete Hehseth and the DoW listening?
Kick them outta there.🇺🇸