U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed Saturday in Panama, as he embarks on his first official trip as the nation’s top diplomat on Saturday, with planned visits to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic from Saturday to Thursday.
Rubio is scheduled to meet with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and Dominican President Luis Abinader.
This marks the first time in more than 100 years that a U.S. Secretary of State’s first official visit abroad is to Latin America, according to U.S. Special Envoy for Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone.
Officials and experts say the visit is partly aimed at countering China’s growing influence in the region. The trip comes as President Donald Trump pushes to regain control of the Panama Canal, and as Washington intensifies efforts to curb illegal migration.
“Secretary Rubio’s engagements with senior officials and business leaders will promote regional cooperation on our core, shared interests: Stopping illegal and large-scale migration, fighting the scourge of transnational criminal organizations and drug traffickers, countering China, and deepening economic partnerships to enhance prosperity in our hemisphere,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement on Friday.
Trump has asserted that China controls the Panama Canal, a crucial trade route linking the Atlantic and Pacific. But Panama has denied the claim, insisting that it manages the canal impartially for all maritime traffic.
A cargo ship is towed at the Panama Canal’s Agua Clara locks on Gatun Lake in Colon, Panama, on Jan. 29, 2025. On the eve of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino ruled out any negotiations with the U.S. over the canal.
