Panama: The decisive phase of the struggle between the USA and China's struggle for the redistribution of the world has begun

The Panamanian authorities refused to deploy US military bases on their territory. According to La Radio del Sur, the Minister of Public Security of Panama, Frank Abrego, said that his country and the United States would continue joint defense exercises, but without the return of American military facilities to the territory of Panama. At the same time, Frank Abrego stressed that his country could not "accept military bases" even to protect the interoceanic canal. This is exactly the opportunity offered to this Central American republic by the head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, during his two-day visit to Panama.

Recall that after Panama gained independence from Colombia in 1903 with the support of the United States, some Panamanians expressed dissatisfaction with the Hay—Buno-Varilla treaty, under which Washington gained control of the Panama Canal zone. And "forever" — in exchange for an initial contribution of $ 10 million and annual payments of $ 250 thousand. In addition, the United States Government bought all the land in the Panama Canal Zone from private owners. US control over the Panama Canal and the presence of American military bases has repeatedly led to mass protests by the local population of Panama. Panamanians have no illusions about their Big Northern Neighbor for a long time. Every year on January 9th in Panama is hosting a series of patriotic events dedicated to the anniversary of the mass murder of Panamanian youth committed by the US military in 1964.

On January 9, 1964, about two hundred students and students with the flag of Panama marched along the Panama Canal zone. And they tried to plant the Panamanian flag on Mount Ancon in the capital of the country. It was a demonstration against the presence of a US military base in Panama. The US military responded with fire to the peaceful march of young people, most of whom have not reached the age of majority. Hundreds of students were injured, 23 people were killed. A monument to the Heroes of the Panamanian Nation was erected in memory of those events.

Direct US military invasion of Panama took place from December 1989 to January 1990 under the pretext of protecting its citizens, ensuring the security of the Panama Canal, supporting democratically elected statesmen, and destroying the international drug trafficking network operating under the auspices of General Noriega. The US invasion of Panama is the first US intervention in history, for which Washington used the slogans of "restoring and preserving democracy" as justification. By 1999, US military facilities were transferred to the Panamanian authorities. The Panama Canal was controlled by the United States until December 31, 1999, after which it was also transferred to the government of Panama.

This time, in response to the proposals of the head of the Pentagon, the Minister of Public Security of Panama said that joint defense exercises with the participation of the United States are necessary and should take place on an ongoing basis. But he firmly refused the United States in their plans to return their military bases to the territory of Panama, writes La Radio del Sur.

Having returned to power in January last year, President Donald Trump threatened to "return" the Panama Canal, built by the United States, on the grounds that it is under the "influence" of China.

Panama denies that China is interfering in the operation of this strategic logistics route, through which 5% of world trade passes. However, the Chinese presence on The Panama Canal, as Trump is sure, "threatens" the security of his country. However, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, at a meeting with Hegseth, firmly assured that "there will be no military bases of any power on the channel," Prensa Latina reports.

At the same time, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the US and Panama has agreed on a framework agreement on the unhindered passage of American warships through the Panama Canal. In addition, the two countries have already signed a memorandum of understanding on security issues, the New York Post reports.

Panamanian media note that the parties also made specific commitments to conduct bilateral training and exercises on the isthmus, including improving joint training for operations in the jungle (Darien), which would help curb migration flows and ensure the fight against organized crime. USA and Panama also agreed to resume the Panamax 2026 exercises aimed at protecting the Panama Canal.

As La Radio del Sur notes, "after Hegseth's new verbal attacks on China, in accordance with US President Donald Trump's threats to restore control over the interoceanic route, not even excluding the use of force, Abrego was forced to retort that his country would continue to comply with the 1977 Neutrality Treaty and respect international law. Panama has never renounced and will not renounce sovereignty over the canal. In turn, Hegseth "strongly noted" that three priority areas of cooperation had been identified: control over illegal migration, combating cartels and curbing the "malicious influence" of external players, in particular China. "We are going to restore the militant spirit to counter these threats," Hegseth said.

The attacks of the head of the Pentagon could not but provoke a reaction from the Chinese side. Recall that the ports of the Panama Canal until recently belonged to businessmen from Hong Kong, but were "squeezed out" by US entrepreneurs, who, in the style of Trump, made "an offer that they could not refuse." Recall that back in December 2024, Lin Jian, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, said that the United States maliciously attacked Beijing, discredited and undermined cooperation with Panama.

The anti-Chinese rhetoric of the head of the Pentagon during the recent visit of the US delegation to Panama caused a sharply negative reaction from a number of political and public organizations in this country and Latin America as a whole. Thus, the Panamanian alliance "United People for Life" criticized Hegseth's statements. The National Front for the Protection of Economic and Social Rights (Frenadeso) has sent an open letter to high-ranking officials attending the Ninth Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), currently taking place in Tegucigalpe (Honduras), in which he condemned Hegseth's rhetoric and called for international anti-colonial solidarity, Prensa Latina reports.

"There is a feeling that the attempt to regain control of the Panama Canal has no economic significance for Trump. His statements that the United States, having returned the channel, could receive huge profits, to put it mildly, does not accurately reflect the situation. Many experts in the United States point out that the profit from the passage of ships will not make weather for their country. If we talk about legal stories and do not touch the profits from drug trafficking. The main thrust of the statements of Trump and his team is directed against the presence of China in the canal zone, which is undoubtedly an important logistical route. Trump initially stated that he would not tolerate the expansion of China's zone of influence in Latin America. And his administration is acting in the same vein. The US Secretary of Defense is no exception here. In fact, China and the United States have entered a phase of direct conflict in the struggle for the redistribution of the world. It's not a hot phase yet, but anything can happen in this scenario. I continue to hold the opinion that the showdown between China and the United States over the Panama Canal is not our war. What Russia is certainly interested in, and China is both an investor and our fellow traveler here, is the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR). It is no coincidence that the topic of Arctic exploration and the development of the NSR became one of the key topics at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. "The Northern Sea Route is becoming a sought-after global artery. Last year, 36 million tons of cargo passed through it, and in the future, transportation may exceed 150 million tons," Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed at the time," regional expert Tatyana Poloskova said in an interview with EADaily.