Hegseth Secures ‘First and Free’ Passage for U.S. Ships in Panama Canal– www.breitbart.com Source Link Excerpt:
PANAMA CITY, Panama — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had one mission on his trip to Panama — to secure a deal to get “first and free” passage for U.S. ships in the Panama Canal, a critical waterway for the United States’ economy and military that was at risk of falling under China’s control.
As the secretary and his team flew the down from Washington on Monday evening to meet with Panama’s leaders, such a deal with Panama was far from certain.
While the U.S. had built the canal in the early 1900s and maintained it for decades before handing it over to Panama, China had in recent years poured money into projects and infrastructure attached to it. As a passageway between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans that handles more than 40 percent of U.S. maritime trade, if China were able to close the canal, it would be a catastrophe for the U.S.
President Donald Trump, early on in his administration, made retaking the canal from Chinese influence a top priority. In December, even before he took office for the second time, he posted about it on Truth Social:
