Rubio accuses China of harassing Panama-flagged ships

Eric Martin, Bloomberg News on Apr 3, 2026

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The U.S. accused China of harassing and detaining Panama-flagged ships after the Central American nation struck down contracts with a Hong Kong conglomerate operating ports on both sides of the Panama Canal.

The allegations, first raised by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission and amplified by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, add another point of tension between the U.S. and China ahead of President Donald Trump’s scheduled visit to Beijing in May.

“China’s recent actions against Panama-flagged vessels raise serious concerns about the use of economic tools to undermine the rule of law in Panama, a sovereign nation and vital partner for global commerce,” Rubio said in a statement.

“Detentions, delays, or other impediments to the movement of vessels undermine the stability of global supply chains, increase costs for businesses and consumers, and erode confidence in the international trading system,” Rubio added.

Panama’s Supreme Court ruled in January that the contract granted to CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. to operate two ports near the Panama Canal was unconstitutional, delivering a win to Trump’s efforts to rein in China’s control of strategic infrastructure in Latin America.

The canal has been in focus since December 2024, when Trump — then a month away from returning to office — began threatening to “take back” the waterway from Panama, citing unfair fees. He also falsely claimed the canal was being operated by China, setting off tensions between the geopolitical powers.

China has denied U.S. allegations related to the detention of Panama-flagged ships.

“The U.S.’s repeated wrongful allegations only reveal its attempt to take control of the canal,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in a regular briefing on Friday.

CK Hutchison last month filed international arbitration against Panama seeking at least $2 billion in damages and alleging an “illegal state takeover” of the ports.

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—With assistance from Martin Ritchie.