Secretary of State Marco Rubio departs on his first foreign trip as the country’s top diplomat on Saturday. Rubio’s first destination on the six-day travel is Panama, where he will pursue President Donald Trump’s geopolitical agenda.
Trump used his inauguration speech to declare his intention to “take back” the Panama Canal, and in a call with reporters on Friday, Special Envoy for Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone said Rubio’s main goal for the trip would be to re-establish a “Golden Age” in America.
“This trip signifies… that era of American greatness and the Golden Age,” he stated, before predicting that “the 21st century will also be an American century.”
According to Claver-Carone, Rubio’s journey to Latin America marks the first time a secretary of state has visited the area on official business in over a century.
“Last time that happened, I believe, was in 1912, when Philander Chase Knox went to Panama… to oversee the conclusion of the Panama Canal’s construction and operations,” he was quoted as saying. “What a great message to harken back to that Golden Age of the Americas, as President Trump himself has mentioned.”
Rubio is expected to meet with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino.
The two are likely to address migration, drug trafficking, and China’s position in the Panama Canal, which Rubio and Trump claim has been overrun by Chinese corporations operating at each end of the vital canal.
The Trump administration has maintained that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) strong influence on all Chinese firms means that, in effect, the CCP operates out of the canal and could, in principle, block it to US commerce if it so desired, posing a substantial security danger.
Mulino has frequently denied that Chinese corporations have any control over the Panama Canal’s management, and he stated on Thursday that he will not negotiate canal ownership with Rubio.
“It’s impossible, I can’t negotiate,” Mulino said during a Thursday news conference when questioned about discussing canal control, according to The Associated news. “That’s done. “The canal belongs to Panama.”
Mulino allegedly said that the misunderstanding over canal management was caused by his predecessor, who cut ties with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China in 2017, finally allowing a Hong Kong consortium to run ports at both ends of the canal.
Panama claims to control the canal.
Claver-Carone said that Chinese businesses control “everything from force and logistics to telecommunications, infrastructure, and otherwise,” which he said poses a security threat not just to US interests in the canal, but also to Panama’s and the Western Hemisphere’s security.
Rubio is also scheduled to visit El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic, where he will meet with their respective presidents before returning to the United States on Thursday.
Addressing Chinese influence in these nations, as well as gang violence, migration, and drug trafficking, will be among Rubio’s major priorities.