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| Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was viciously mocked by Donald Trump during the 2016 election, is now Trump's Secretary of State. |
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino today, to discuss the neutrality of the Panama Canal.
Before his inauguration, President-elect Trump announced he would retake control of the Panama Canal, stating that it had fallen into the hands of the Chinese, which was a lie. The Panama Canal Authority is owned and operated by the government of Panama, and controls the canal. What is true is that China has become a major player in world trade, including Central and South America. In recent decades, ships carrying Chinese goods have used the canal at greater rates.
What Trump may have in mind is the Belt and Road Initiative, a collaborative effort of many nations, led by China, to make commerce more feasible, mainly through infrastructure projects on both land and sea. Panama has joined this initiative, but President Mulino has said he may pull out of it in order to appease President Trump.
Rubio's meeting with Panama's President struck a more diplomatic tone compared to President Trump, telling President Mulino that Chinese Communist control over the canal is not acceptable, but did not declare the United States would conduct a takeover by force. Instead, he cited the 1977 treaty in which Panama and the United States agreed on joint use of the canal and emphasized collaborative efforts by both governments to make it a mutually-prosperous endeavor.
The canal is a substantial source of income for the Panamanian government, producing around 6-8% of the country's GDP annually.
Fox News reported today that ICE has begun making worksite raids to detain undocumented immigrants for deportation. Worksite raids have been a tactic of ICE's immigration strategy on and off since the 1980s, and we're now getting the first reports of such raids under Trump.
Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Panamanian President Mulino - United States Department of State
Who Controls the Panama Canal? | Council on Foreign Relations
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) | Progress, Impact, China, & Facts | Britannica
ICE Philadelphia arrests 7 illegal immigrants in car wash raid | Fox News
The Economic and Social Costs of Worksite Raids on Local Communities | UnidosUS
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