Panama will not be renewing a key infrastructure agreement with China, the Central American country’s president announced after meeting Sunday with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to The Associated Press (AP).
President Jose Raúl Mulino said Panama would not be renewing its agreement to participate in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, according to AP. Belt and Road is an infrastructure pact which serves to grant China a massive level of influence over countries throughout the world. (RELATED: Italy To Withdraw From China’s Influence-Boosting Global Infrastructure Project)
Mulino made the announcement following months of pressure from President Donald Trump over issues raised relating to Panama Canal access. In December 2024, Trump threatened to demand the canal — which was built by the United States — be returned to the U.S. if China was allowed to…
