Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling to Panama late next week in his first official diplomatic trip late, amid heightened tensions over President Trump’s threats to retake the Panama

China's expanding footprint in Latin America is expected to be high on the agenda when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Panama next week on his first overseas trip since taking office, according to observers.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to head to Panama soon for his first international trip as the nation’s top diplomat, Fox News has learned.

Republicans hoping to thwart Beijing’s influence in Latin America urge the Panamanian government to cut ties with Chinese entities.

Marco Rubio will travel to Panama on his first trip abroad as secretary of State. The visit comes as Donald Trump looks to reclaim Panama's canal.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make his first official trip abroad next week to Central America, including a stop in Panama, which President Donald Trump has riled with talk of trying to reclaim the Panama Canal.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino has directly addressed President Donald Trump 's controversial comments regarding the Panama Canal, reaffirming that the waterway unequivocally belongs to Panama.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s insistence that he wants to have the Panama Canal back under U.S. control is feeding nationalist sentiment and worry in Panama, home to the critical trade route and a country familiar with U.

The 50-mile Panama Canal was a multi-national, multi-decade project to link two oceans and transform global shipping. After completion in 1914, the canal helped turn the United States into an economic juggernaut.

Panama’s government and President José Raúl Mulino have repeatedly denied that there is any Chinese presence at the canal.

Beach residents traded building sandcastles for snowmen on Wednesday. Locals didn't want to miss out on a rare snow day at the beach. For more News, Weather, and Sports in Panama City, Florida visit: