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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tU.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Wednesday focused again on China’s presence in the Western Hemisphere, one day after calling the world power a threat to the Panama Canal.Speaking at a regional security conference, Hegseth said that China-based companies were controlling land and critical infrastructure in strategic sectors.\u201cChina\u2019s military has too large of a presence in the Western Hemisphere,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cMake no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage and unfair economic gain.\u201dHe called on the region\u2019s governments to work together to deter China and address threats posed by transnational drug cartels and mass immigration.Hegseth was speaking a day after meeting Panama’s President Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino and touring the Panama Canal. The two countries agreed to step up security coordination and appeared to say they would work toward a way to pay back fees that U.S. warships pay to pass through the Panama Canal.The visit comes amid tensions over U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s repeated assertions that the U.S. is being overcharged to use the Panama Canal and that China has influence over its operations \u2014 allegations that Panama has denied.Shortly after Hegseth and Mulino met, the Chinese Embassy in Panama criticized the U.S. government in a statement on X, saying Washington had used \u201cblackmail\u201d to further its own interests and that who Panama carries out business with is a \u201csovereign decision of Panama … and something the U.S. doesn\u2019t have the right to interfere in.\u201dThe concern about China’s influence over the waterway was provoked by Hong Kong-based consortium CK Hutchison holding a 25-year lease on ports at either end of the canal. The Panamanian government announced that lease was being audited and late Monday concluded that there were irregularities, which CK Hutchison denied in a statement Wednesday.CK Hutchison has already announced that it would be selling its controlling stake in the ports to a consortium including BlackRock Inc., effectively putting the ports under American control once the sale is complete.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Wednesday focused again on China’s presence in the Western Hemisphere, one day after calling the world power a threat to the Panama Canal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Speaking at a regional security conference, Hegseth said that China-based companies were controlling land and critical infrastructure in strategic sectors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cChina\u2019s military has too large of a presence in the Western Hemisphere,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cMake no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage and unfair economic gain.\u201d<\/p>\n He called on the region\u2019s governments to work together to deter China and address threats posed by transnational drug cartels and mass immigration.<\/p>\n