President-elect Donald Trump recently suggested wresting back control of the Panama Canal, claiming America is being "ripped off. " However, what concerned Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) more in a recent appearance on Fox Business's Varney & Co. is China's influence on the Canal, which in turn means Trump has "legitimate concerns" about the issue.
Rep. Gimenez did not definitively affirm Trump's claim that the United States is treated unfairly regarding the Panama Canal. However, he did point out that "China has a way of trying to either buy or coerce different influencers or politicians to do their bidding," noting that several people on the Panama Canal Authority "had, in fact, been coerced or cooperated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)."
While the exact nature of Rep. Gimenez's claim requires verification, the CCP-linked Landbridge Group has begun construction of a free trade port on Margarita Island, and Chinese companies manage ports at both ends of the Canal. Additionally, Panama was the first Western Hemisphere country to join China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
As a result, the Florida Congressman said, "[Trump] has legitimate concerns when it comes to the Panama Canal."
When asked if the United States retaking control of the Canal was possible, Gimenez admitted he had not "read the fine print, but apparently [Trump] has, and there has to be provisions in there that say they [Panama] have to treat the United States a certain way. If they have been violating that, then I do not know."
Nevertheless, Gimenez said he "always takes [Trump] seriously, even though he may sound a little bit out there" and suggested Trump's recent announcement was because "he wants a better deal, and I think we are going to get a better deal from Panama and also, we need to get rid of Chinese influence on the Panama Canal."
Gimenez is not alone in countering China's maritime ambitions, for Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), who is slated to become Trump's Secretary of State, introduced a bill in August calling for the Department of Defense to identify Chinese companies and their proxies seeking to buy shares in ports dubbed crucial to the United States economy and national security, saying, "Our nation can't allow Communist China to invest in geographically and economically strategic ports. We must prevent, at all costs, the chance for our adversaries to use our resources against us."
