Diyar Guldogan
28 January 2025•Update: 28 January 2025
WASHINGTON
Senator Ted Cruz on Tuesday warned against the China's influence on the Panama Canal, saying it poses threat to US national security.
"Chinese companies are right now building a bridge across the canal at a slow pace so as to take nearly a decade, and Chinese companies control container ports at either end," Cruz told lawmakers during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing.
Cruz said the partially completed bridge gives China the ability to block the canal without warning, and the ports give China ready observation posts to take to time that action.
"This situation, I believe, poses acute risks to US national security," he added.
Members of the committee heard testimony from maritime experts on the impact of the Panama Canal on US trade and national security. Witnesses raised concern over a lack of US investment in port infrastructure in the region, which they say China has taken the lead on.
Cruz said the Panama Canal proved a "truly invaluable asset" sparing both cargo ships and warships the long journey around South America.
"When President (Jimmy) Carter gave it away to Panama, Americans were puzzled, confused, and many outraged. With the passage of time, many have lost sight of the canal's importance, both to national security and to the US economy, not President Trump," he added.
Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to reclaim the canal, citing concerns that American ships are being overcharged.
The president also criticized the high tariffs for Panama Canal transit and argued that the 1999 transfer of control to Panama was intended as a gesture of cooperation, not a concession.
Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino in response has firmly said the canal’s ownership is non-negotiable.
Mulino reiterated that the Panama Canal remains fully under Panamanian control and that China plays no operational role.
The Panama Canal, a vital trade route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, is operated exclusively by Panama.
