China's influence on the Panama Canal is a major risk to U.S. national security, Sen. Ted Cruz told lawmakers during a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill.

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.

Trump has called for the U.S. to take back control of the Panama Canal, warning of heavy Chinese activity in the region.

President Trump's priorities of immigration enforcement and promoting U.S. interests in the Panama Canal lead the political agenda in Washington.

China's expanding footprint in Latin America is expected to be high on the agenda when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Panama next week on his first overseas trip since taking office, according to observers.

Newly elected President Trump has sparked controversy by suggesting the U.S. should retake control of the Panama Canal. This claim is based on unfounded allegations of China's involvement, creating concerns about potential military intervention.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, warns lawmakers about China during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation hearing.

Panama City, Panama - January 27, 2025 China does not control the Panama Canal, nor does it charge more tolls to the United States, says its former administrator, Jorge Quijano, in an interview with EFE in which he deconstructs the discourse used by US President Donald Trump to argue his intention to "regain" the operation of the route between the Atlantic and the Pacific.

China may have investments in the operations of the Panama Canal but its soldiers are not operating it.

A U.S. Senator from Missouri has led several colleagues to introduce a resolution that would help American companies continue to ship through the Panama Canal without influence from the Chinese government.

Panama has owned and administered the Panama Canal for nearly three decades. President Trump wants to change that to counter growing Chinese influence in Latin America.