Secretary of State Marco Rubio is arguing that the presence of two Hong Kong companies and other Chinese firms violates a treaty Panama has with the U.S.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Panama officials that Chinese influence over the Panama Canal must be curbed or the U.S. will take retaliatory actions, the State Department said Sunday. Why it matters: Rubio's warning to Panama President José Raúl Mulino and Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha is another pressure point on the country since President Trump said he intended to regain control of the Panama Canal.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has met Panama's president on his first stop on his trip foreign trip as President Donald Trump is upping pressure on America's neighbors including a demand for the Panama Canal to be returned to the United States.