Rubio Condemns China Over Detentions of Panama-Flagged Vessels

The US secretary of state said the detentions raise serious ​concerns about efforts to undermine rule of law in the Latin American ‌country.

Container ship Cosco Development, registered and sailing under the flag of Hong Kong, with capacity for more than 13,000 containers, at the Agua Clara locks in Colon, 56 miles from Panama City, Panama, on May 2, 2017. Rodrigo Arangua/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused the Chinese communist regime of bullying by detaining or holding up dozens of Panama-flagged ships in China after the Central American country took control of two critical ports on the Panama Canal earlier this year from a subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company.

“China’s decision to detain or otherwise impede Panama-flagged vessels engaged in lawful trade destabilizes supply chains, raises costs, and erodes confidence in the global trading system,” Rubio said in an April 2 post on X. “The United States stands with Panama against any retaliatory actions against its sovereignty and will always support our partners in the face of bullying.”