Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio insisted there are serious concerns over control of the Panama Canal as President-elect Trump has called for the U.S. to take over the crucial waterway.
The Florida senator appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing where he was asked about China’s influence on the Panama Canal.
Rubio warned it is a legitimate issue that needs to be addressed.
And while he was careful to state that he has not looked into the legal research regarding the control of the canal, he suggested the agreement under which the U.S. turned it over to Panama may have been violated.
‘I’m compelled to suspect that an argument could be made that the terms under which that canal were turned over have been violated,’ Rubio said in response to a question by Utah Senator John Curtis.
Rubio said Panama has not turned over sovereignty of the canal, but he raised concerns over the Chinese ports operating on either side of it.
‘In reality, a foreign power today possesses through their companies, which we know are not independent, the ability to turn the canal into a choke point in a moment of conflict,’ Rubio said.
Rubio warned it is a ‘direct threat to the national interest and security’ of the U.S.
The U.S. completed construction of the Panama Canal in the early 1900s.
In 1979, a treaty signed during the Carter administration agreed for the U.S. to turn over control of the canal and full control was turned over to the Panamanians in 1999.
But Trump recently demanded the U.S. retake control of the canal and that U.S. ships get preferential treatment.
Panamanian leaders rejected his demands and have insisted it alone controls the canal, not China. They’ve said warned giving U.S. ships preferential treatment would lead to ‘chaos.’
During Wednesday’s hearing, Rubio said concern over China’s influence in Panama is not new and agreed with doubts over whether the canal remains neutral because Chinese companies control port facilities on both ends of the canal.
He said the worry among military and security officials is that the ports could be used for duel purposes to impede commerce and be weaponized against the U.S.
‘This is a legitimate issue that needs to be confronted,’ Rubio said.
Trump’s pick to lead the State Department would not go so far to say without further examination whether the China effectively already has control of the canal but suggested that argument could perhaps be made because China’s government keeps a tight control on its companies.
‘No one’s claiming that the Chinese are shutting down the canal every day,’ Rubio pointed out.
‘What the claim is, the very legitimate concern is that if these companies control both ends of that canal in a time of conflict, and the Chineses tell them “shut it down and don’t let the U.S. go through there,” we got a big, big problem,’ Rubio said.
The Florida senator said it would be an economic, national security and defense problem.
‘We shouldn’t ignore it. It isn’t a joke. It’s a legitimate issue, and it needs to be solved,’ Rubio said.
While Rubio raised issues with the current situation regarding the important passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific, he was also quick to praise Panama’s leader.
‘I want to be clear about something,’ he said. ‘The Panamanian government, particularly its current office holders are very friendly to the United States and very cooperative, and we want that to continue.’
During the hearing, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Jim Risch also suggested a legal analysis should be done of the treaty over control of the Panama Canal.