The selection of former Sen. Marco Rubio to become the nation’s secretary of state sent the message that shoring up Latin America will be a top priority for the new administration.
Early returns suggest the selection is paying off. Rubio’s trip to Panama, his first stop as the nation’s most senior Cabinet member, delivered a significant concession from the Panamanian government. Following his meeting with Rubio, President Jose Raul Mulino, after months of denying President Donald Trump’s claims that China controlled the Panama Canal, announced that his country will not renew a 2017 infrastructure funding agreement with China.
As a result, Panama will cease participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative once the current agreement expires in 2027. Mulino even expressed openness to ending the agreement beforehand.