Our Scans · Panama · Weekly Summary

• While Trump issues threats to take over the Panama Canal, Canada, and Greenland, US diplomacy is in retreat more broadly. Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka
• President Donald Trump threatens that the US will take back the Panama Canal, a strategic maritime route for global trade, because of perceived Chinese influence in the Canal Zone. University of Glasgow Library Blog
• The U.S. and China are the top users of the Panama Canal, and its role in global shipping has increased in recent years due to the disruption of global supply chains. NBC New York
• In comparison to the recent disruptions to maritime shipping through the Panama Canal (due to low water levels) and the Red Sea (due to attacks by Houthis from Yemen), overland cargo supply chains in North America hold a distinct advantage: it is easier to reroute trucks quickly than ships. Wilson Center
• The Panama Canal is a crucial element of global trade, and any disruptions caused by military conflict could have significant repercussions for the international economy. Eurasia Review
• Despite clear economic benefits, critics argue the deal risks placing Panama's critical national infrastructure too heavily under foreign control, especially by entities closely aligned with U.S. strategic interests. Global Financial Market Review
• The Mexican government plans to build a railway corridor to compete with the Panama Canal, challenging the dynamics of maritime shipping for freight transport and, more generally, global trade. Newsroom Panama
• The decrease in traffic in the Panama Canal has increased shipping costs, with consumer prices calculated to rise 0.6% by 2025 due to disruptions in the transit route including the Suez Canal. All Things Supply Chain
• Now the Trump administration, which has already expressed its desire to retake the Panama Canal and assume control of Greenland, is being nudged by the Vancouver-based Metals Company to disregard the Seabed Authority and grant it a license to start mining as soon as 2027. The New York Times
• The blockchain ecosystem in Panama is undergoing rapid growth and presents significant potential for both businesses and consumers. AMBCrypto
• Trump has threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal, arguing that the U.S. should have never turned control over to the Panamanians more than two decades ago. MarketBeat
• As tensions rise over global trade routes and security, Trump's push to take back the Panama Canal could spark diplomatic friction. Global Post Headline
• Trump is playing tariff roulette and threatening to take control of the Panama Canal, Greenland, Gaza and even Canada, whose border with the US, he says, constitutes an artificial line of separation. Stagecraft and Statecraft
• The Blockchain ecosystem in Panama is in a phase of accelerated growth and presents significant potential for both the business sector and consumers. The Cryptonomist
• Threats about China's presence along the Panama Canal led to the recent sale of Hutchinson Ports, and the USTR's proposed port call fee on Chinese-made vessels has already resulted in CMA CGM pledging to invest $20 billion in the US, including some shipbuilding. Freightos
• Trump's increasing attention to the Arctic is connected to the growing accessibility of the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage, which could offer increasingly accessible and more lucrative Trans-Arctic shipping routes in comparison to the Suez and Panama canals. The Soufan Center
• Passage through the Panama Canal could become more difficult for Chinese ships if ports on both sides were to come under the control of an American company. Latam FDI
• There's a common thread between President Trump's tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, his deportations of illegal aliens, his threat to take back the Panama Canal, and his aggressive overtures to buy Greenland. Benzinga
• Water levels are being watched closely; the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has launched a $1.6 billion project to divert water from a nearby lake via tunnel, aiming to secure long-term water supply by 2026 (Panama Canal 2025 outlook). Sagisu Shipping
• US President Donald Trump's interest in Greenland, northeast of Nunavut, comes as part of an aggressively America First foreign policy platform that has included threats to take control of the Panama Canal and suggestions that Canada should become the 51st US state. Mathrubhumi
• The steps taken to mitigate risks underscore the enduring significance of the Panama Canal in global trade and U.S. national security. Conservative Journal Review
• President Trump has highlighted the increasing influence of China on the Panama Canal as a direct threat to U.S. national security. Thin Line News

Last updated: 13 June 2025