Secretary of State Marco Rubio is headed to Panama as part of his first international trip in his new role. President Trump made it clear he wants the U.S. to control the heavily used Panama Canal, a move the Panamanian government strongly opposes.

A key focus of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Central America this week — his first trip as America’s top diplomat — will be to counter China’s growing influence in the region, the State Department’s top spokesperson said this week,

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday he had "zero doubt" that China has a contingency plan to shut down the Panama Canal in the event of a conflict with the U.S. and that Washington intends to address what it sees as a national security threat.