Marco Rubio Is Visiting Panama To Talk About The Panama Canal. Marco Is The First US Secretary Of State To Be Banned From China

(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama) It was in 2020 when Beijing twice sanctioned the then Florida senator for pushing a bill banning Chinese officials from entering the United States and for supporting Democratic movements in Hong Kong. In 2020, within a month and a half, the Chinese government sanctioned then-Florida Senator Marco Rubio twice. The first was for pushing a bill banning officials from China's Xinjiang region from entering the United States for their role in repressing the Uighur Muslim minority. Beijing then targeted Rubio for supporting democratic movements in Hong Kong. Both Beijing and Washington often resort to such sanctions, which are more symbolic than effective because they are usually reduced to banning entry to the countries. But in Rubio's case they are now especially important: the new US Secretary of State, Donald Trump's chief diplomat, a key figure in the future of relations between the two superpowers, is currently prohibited from setting foot in China.

There has been much speculation in Beijing in recent days about whether the sanctions imposed on Rubio will soon be lifted.“I don't want to be paranoid, but I'm starting to think they don't like me,” Rubio said sarcastically five years ago after learning of these sanctions. The Republican was right about one thing: he is one of the American politicians most detested by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Rubio has been one of the most belligerent critics of the Chinese regime and Beijing has interpreted his appointment as a very clear signal that the Trump administration is going to follow a very hard line against the world's second largest economy. “China is the most potent and dangerous adversary this nation has ever faced,” Rubio said Wednesday at his first hearing after taking office. Days earlier, the new secretary of state had already grabbed headlines by saying that the Asian giant was the“greatest threat” to Washington.

“I hope that he will behave well and play a constructive role in the future of relations between the Chinese and American people,” Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told Rubio a few days ago. The two had a telephone conversation in which the Republican lowered his tone, following the line set by Trump, although he made it clear to his counterpart that his government will promote the interests of his country by“putting the American people first.” Another sign of Rubio's aggressive approach to China came in the first act of the Trump administration's foreign policy. Just hours after formally accepting his new position, Rubio met with his Indo-Pacific allies. In Washington, he received the foreign ministers of the Quad group, the security alliance formed by the United States, India, Japan and Australia that seeks to counterbalance China's advance in the region. Rubio's first meeting was with Indian Prime Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, from the country that will host this year's summit of leaders of the Quad, a bloc that was resurrected precisely by the first Trump administration after a decade of being virtually inactive.

The Quad, which was created in 2007 as a partnership focused on humanitarian aid, climate change and maritime security, has been evolving into what Beijing sees as an attempt by Washington to create a kind of“Asian NATO.” With Joe Biden in the White House, meetings between top diplomats from the Quad countries have increased, turning the summits into advocacy forums to counter China's assertiveness, the threat to Taiwan and Beijing's territorial claims in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. Another important regional player is the Philippines, which has been engaged in a long-standing dispute with Chinese forces over a handful of islets and reefs. Rubió also called his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, to underline“the United States' commitments under the mutual defense treaty.” The American condemned Beijing for its“dangerous and destabilizing” actions.

During his recent hearing on January 15, Rubio criticized China's global ambitions and“aggressive naval activities” and accused Xi Jinping's regime of violating Hong Kong's autonomy. He also said the United States had to support Taiwan's participation in international organizations. “Trump wants to hurt Beijing as a negotiating tactic to secure better deals for the US economy. But Marco Rubio's anti-communist credentials mean that the State Department's day-to-day diplomacy toward China could become more aggressive and less open to consultation and dialogue ,” notes Neil Thomas, a China policy researcher at the China Analysis Center at the Asia Society Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank. Rubio's hard line on China these days clashes with the measured tone that Trump himself is currently using, who in an interview on Thursday with Fox News said that the conversation he had the previous week, before his inauguration, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping had been“friendly” and that he is confident of being able to reach a trade agreement with China despite its tariff threats.“I have always had a great relationship with President Xi Jinping,” he added in another virtual interview at the Davos forum.

Accusations of Alleged Chinese Influence in the Canal (Pictured above is Xi Jinping of China to the left and former Panama President Juan Carlos Varela)

President José Raúl Mulino blamed former President Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019) for questioning by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, regarding the alleged Chinese influence on the Panama Canal. According to the president, Varela“is indirectly responsible.” This is because, according to Mulino, the former president made“a shady negotiation” when establishing diplomatic ties with China. “Millions of dollars, among other things... But nobody asks him anything. He can't leave the country, so he must be wandering around. He has to tell the story. Varela has to tell the story,” he added. On June 12, 2017, the foreign ministers of Panama, Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, and China, Wang Yi, signed a statement in which both countries began diplomatic relations.

For its part, the Taiwanese government expressed at the time its“strong discontent and indignation” over what it called a“unilateral” break and announced the end of relations with Panama. Varela, for his part, justified his government's decision to break decades-long diplomatic relations with Taiwan on the grounds that China“represents 20% of the world's population and is the second largest economy in the world.” In addition, it is the second most important user of the Canal and an important supplier of goods to the Colon Free Zone. Mulino also mentioned that there had been previous attempts to establish relations with China, but that in the past the diplomatic situation with Taiwan had prevented this. “I know of two historical moments where the relationship with Taiwan could have been ended and relations with China opened up. And it was not possible.

So, without a doubt, it is a delicate subject, but the relationship is there. What am I going to do?” Mulino also referred to Panama's relationship with the United States and China, making it clear that Washington remains the country's most important strategic partner. Regarding the relationship with the Asian giant, the president acknowledged its economic importance and its presence in the country, but maintained that Panama continues to prioritize its ties with the United States. “They have a significant, thriving Chinese community in Panama, from day one or even before we were a republic. I cannot ignore that. It is with the United States that we have a privileged relationship, not with China.”

US Special Envoy to Speak Friday about Marco Rubio's Agenda in Latin America, Including Panama

The United States Department of State reported this Thursday, January 30, 2025, that the United States special envoy for Latin America, Mauricio Claver-Carone, will give details about the tour that will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Claver-Carone will hold a virtual press conference in Spanish, beginning at 11:00 a.m. (10:00 a.m. in Panama) this Friday, January 31, 2025, the State Department confirmed. The U.S. delegation, led by Rubio, will visit five Latin American countries, including Panama, which would be the first on the tour.

This meeting takes place amid diplomatic tension between the two countries, after the President of the United States, Donald Trump, said that he would recover the Panama Canal, arguing that China has an alleged influence on the maritime route and that the Torrijos-Carter Treaties are not being complied with. They are also scheduled to travel to the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala and Costa Rica.

Unofficially, it was announced that Rubio will arrive in Panama on Saturday, February 1st in the evening and that he will meet with the Panamanian president, José Raúl Mulino, on Sunday, February 2nd at noon. Mulino stressed on Thursday, during his usual weekly press conference, that this situation must be resolved through dialogue. Since Trump launched his threats last December, Panama has strongly rejected these statements and Mulino has reiterated that the Canal has been managed by Panamanians for 25 years and that there is no foreign influence.

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