For U.S.-China Rivalry, Panama Needs a Real Plan
A coherent foreign policy and a long-term strategy for the Canal are necessary in times of geopolitical change.
Earlier this year, Panama’s Supreme Court struck down concessions held by CK Hutchison, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, over the two port facilities flanking the Panama Canal on the Atlantic and Pacific. The ruling had vast implications, because it effectively expelled a Chinese Communist Party-linked operator from key maritime infrastructure at a time when Washington and Beijing are engaged in the most consequential strategic competition since the Cold War. The ruling also exposed a critical weakness in Panama: the lack of a true doctrine about how to manage the Canal and the...
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