When Marco Rubio arrives in Latin America this weekend on his first foreign trip as Donald Trump's secretary of state, he'll find a region reeling from the new administration's shock-and-awe approach to diplomacy.

In Sola's testimony, he said: "The United States is not without options in addressing the growing presence of China and Chinese companies in Panama and throughout the Americas. Nor are we without options as they relate to the continued viability of the Canal." He also said it was crucial to protect the independence of the Panama Canal Authority.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Tuesday expressed alarm at China's influence on the Panama Canal, which President Donald Trump has vowed the United States would take back.

President Donald Trump’s insistence that he wants to have the Panama Canal back under U.S. control is feeding nationalist sentiment and worry in Panama, home to the critical trade route and a country familiar with U.

The neutrality of the nearly 50-mile canal, through which nearly 15,000 ships transit each year, is enshrined in Panama’s Constitution and is enforced by the autonomous Panama Canal Authority.

After President Donald Trump’s pledge to regain control of the Panama Canal, lawmakers in Congress are taking a closer look at the key shipping channel.

Republicans hoping to thwart Beijing’s influence in Latin America are urging the Panamanian government to cut ties with Chinese entities.

Newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing to "take back" the Panama Canal, the world's second busiest interoceanic waterway.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, discussed a scenario in which China could disrupt U.S. trade by blocking off the canal.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to head to Panama soon for his first international trip as the nation’s top diplomat, Fox News has learned.

CSIS Americas Program director Ryan C. Berg and Andrew Sanders make the case for increased U.S. engagement with Panama to mitigate strategic vulnerabilities presented by insecurity, irregular migration,