Washington DC [US], April 9 (ANI): Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, during a visit to the Central American country, stated that China's dominance over Panama Canal ports poses an unacceptable risk to US security.

As Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported, this highlighted the US's commitment to enhancing its influence in the Western hemisphere.

The Panama Canal has emerged as a center of geopolitical conflict, as China's participation in its ports raises US apprehensions regarding control and dominance over this vital global trade channel.

US President Donald Trump has often claimed that the United States is being charged excessively for using the Panama Canal and that China exerts influence over its management, according to RFA.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new US-funded dock at the Vasco Nunez de Balboa Naval Base following discussions with Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino, Hegseth declared that the US will not permit China or any other nation to jeopardize the canal's operations.

'To that end, the United States and Panama have made more progress in strengthening our defense and security collaboration in recent weeks than we have in decades,' he said.

Hegseth noted that companies from China continue to oversee critical infrastructure in the canal region. 'This provides China with the capability to conduct surveillance activities throughout Panama. This situation makes both Panama and the United States less secure, less prosperous, and less sovereign. As President Donald Trump has emphasised, this condition is unacceptable,' he stated.

In reaction to Hegseth's statements, the Chinese embassy in Panama issued a statement on X critiquing the US government.

They claimed that the US had employed 'blackmail' to advance its interests, asserting that Panama's decisions regarding business dealings are a 'sovereign decision of Panama and something the US should not interfere with,' as highlighted by the RFA report.

'The US has engaged in a sensational campaign about the 'theoretical Chinese threat' to undermine Chinese-Panamanian cooperation, which is fundamentally driven by the United States' geopolitical interests,' the embassy remarked, as reported by RFA.

There have been increasing calls in Washington to take action to reduce Beijing's influence due to the control exerted by Chinese and Hong Kong companies over ports in Panama and other regions in the Western Hemisphere. (ANI)