While the Trump Administration’s efforts to counter China’s trade policies via tariffs have garnered much attention recently, that’s far from the only way it is pushing back against the CCP’s global reach, as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth explained in the context of the critical Panama Canal.
Such is what Mr. Hegseth explained during a Sunday, April 13 appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” noting to viewers that President Donald Trump is stopping the communist Chinese government from taking over the Panama Canal, a vital waterway for trade and the American Navy.
Beginning, Mr. Hegseth explained that the Trump Administration sees China as having far too much influence over the Panama Canal. He said, “Well, President Trump said at a State of the Union address, China has too much influence over the Panama Canal, and America is gonna take it back, and that’s exactly what I was charged to do, what we’re continuing to do. Chinese influence cannot control our own backyard, especially a critical waterway key terrain like the Panama Canal.”
Continuing, the Secretary of Defense noted that an immense amount of highly vital traffic flows through the canal, and that the Trump Administration has made some major deals with the Panamanian government regarding that, saying, “75% of ships are going to or from a port, so we were able to secure two historic agreements, one with the Panama Canal Authority that you are to ships, military vessels and auxiliary vessels will travel first and free through that canal.”
Adding to that, Mr. Hegseth noted that military resources are being deployed to ensure the communist Chinese are kept out, saying, “And we also signed a memorandum of understanding with the defense secretary over there and the president that established a robust and growing U.S. presence. You need to secure that key terrain. So Fort Sherman will reopen jointly with the Panamanians and is going to have a larger U.S. presence at the invitation of Panama, working with them to keep the communist Chinese out.”
Explaining again why he and the rest of the Trump Administration see keeping the CCP out of the Panama Canal as so important, Mr. Hegseth said, “If we can’t use that waterway in a key contingency, China has an advantage. We’ve been asleep at the wheel. President Trump has said we need to be serious about our own backyard.”
Then, being diplomatic, Mr. Hegseth framed the Panamanian government as being helpful, saying, “I want to thank President Molina, a pro-Trump, pro-America president of Panama who’s sticking his neck out against communists, whose influence was real there. Maria, we could see it; you could feel it.”
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Concluding his comments on the matter, Mr. Hegseth reiterated that America will remain vigilant as to keeping the CCP out of the region and in pushing back against the Belt and Road Initiative, saying, “The communist Chinese want to control politicians. They’re building infrastructure projects. They want to surveil. They want to take that canal. President Trump says not on our watch and we are fighting back.”
Watch Mr. Hegseth here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video