Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said China's military presence is "too large" in Panama. (Reuters/Aris Martinez)
Earlier Wednesday, Hegseth warned that China’s military presence in the Western Hemisphere is "too large" as he visited Panama to meet with the nation's officials, visit U.S. troops and tour the canal ports.
"Make no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage and unfair economic gain," Hegseth said in brief remarks to the press. "China's military has too large of a presence in the Western Hemisphere. They operate military facilities and ground stations that extend their reach into space. They exploit natural resources and land to fuel China's global military ambitions. China's factory fishing fleets are stealing food from our nations and from our people."
He added that war with China is "not inevitable," and the U.S. does not seek war in any form. "Together, we must prevent war by robustly and vigorously deterring China’s threats in this hemisphere."
To strengthen military ties with Panama and reassert influence over the canal, the U.S. will deploy the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship, to the region.
Hegseth vowed Tuesday that the U.S. will "take back" the Panama Canal from Chinese influence, pointing to port operations controlled by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison.
The secretary later said Wednesday that he and Panamanian officials would be signing an agreement that U.S. warships would travel "first and free" through the Panama Canal.
TRUMP, HEGSETH REVEAL WHOPPING FIGURE THEY WANT FOR THE NEXT PENTAGON BUDGET
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visits Miraflores locks with Panama Canal Authority Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez, and Adm. Alvin Holsey, head of the U.S. Southern Command. (Reuters/Aris Martinez )
Hegseth alluded to the ports owned by CK Hutchison. "China-based companies continue to control critical infrastructure in the canal area," he said. "That gives China the potential to conduct surveillance activities across Panama. This makes Panama and the United States less secure, less prosperous and less sovereign. And as President Donald Trump has pointed out, that situation is not acceptable."
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The Chinese embassy in Panama hit back: "The U.S. has carried out a sensationalistic campaign about the ‘theoretical Chinese threat’ in an attempt to sabotage Chinese-Panamanian cooperation, which is all just rooted in the United States' own geopolitical interests."
The war of words in Panama comes as China and the U.S. are now locked in a trade war, where Trump slapped Chinese goods with a total 104% tariff. China retaliated with 84% tariffs on U.S. goods.
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