Some U.S. lawmakers and officials are touting a nearly half-century-old treaty between the United States and Panama to justify the Trump administration's threat to reclaim the Panama Canal - provided it can show the strategic waterway's operation is under threat.

The U.S. has voiced concerns over Chinas growing influence around the Panama Canal, with Mauricio Claver-Carone, U.S. special envoy for Latin America, warning of national security risks. His remarks come ahead of U.

A key focus of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Central America this week — his first trip as America’s top diplomat — will be to counter China’s growing influence in the region, the State Department’s top spokesperson said this week,