US-Led Bloc Condemns China Pressure on Panama-Flagged Ships

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday released a joint statement with five Latin American and Caribbean governments backing Panama’s sovereignty and condemning pressure tied to recent actions against Panama-flagged vessels, escalating a maritime dispute that has increasingly moved from port concessions into global shipping and geopolitics.

Issued jointly by the United States, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago, the statement said the governments were “monitoring with vigilance” what it called China’s “targeted economic pressure” following Panama’s decision earlier this year to remove CK Hutchison Holdings from control of the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals flanking the Panama Canal.