China's presence around the Panama Canal is a national security concern that Panama's government has to deal with, U.S. Special Envoy for Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone said on Friday, ahead of U.

Jose Raul Mulino said he won't discuss control of the canal during the secretary of state's visit. Rubio, in contrast, said "we're going to address that topic."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says President Donald Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland and retake control of the Panama Canal is driven by legitimate national security interests stemming from growing concerns about Chinese activity in the Arctic and in Latin America.