Panama and the U.S. signed a new security pact on the canal, boosting defense ties as tensions with China over Latin American influence continue to rise.

Defense Secretary Hegseth said the U.S. and Panama are strengthening security ties and "together" will "take back" the canal from the influence of China, which operates two major ports.

The canal was returned to Panama under a 1977 treaty, which allows the US to intervene militarily if the waterway’s operations are disrupted by internal conflict or a foreign power.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty with Panama to gradually transfer control of the 51-mile canal to the nation it bisects, and on Dec. 31, 1999, Panama assumed full control of the canal.

Trump has voiced strong concerns over the Panama Canal, claiming that China holds too much influence over its operations. In his inaugural address on Jan. 20, he declared, “China is operating ...

Donald Trump has begun his second term as president by ramping up pressure on Panama – threatening to “take back” the Panama Canal and accusing the country of ceding control of the ...

The Panama Canal is an extraordinary feat of engineering. This waterway, which slices 50 miles across the isthmus of Panama to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, is an artery of world trade ...

More than 2,000 people could be displaced by the construction of the Río Indio dam. The Panama Canal Authority says the dam solves a long-term water shortage problem.

The Panama Canal has spent the past few years battling extreme weather, with the El Niño phenomenon and severe drought leading to a water-level crisis. Now, it’s President Trump’s trade war ...

Panama Canal shipping fees were not a big issue until Mr. Trump raised the matter last year. As well as highlighting the costs of using the canal, American politicians have security concerns.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino has rejected the U.S. State Department’s claim that his country had reached a deal allowing U.S. warships to transit the Panama Canal for free.