US, China Clash at UN Meeting Over Panama Canal

The U.S. ambassador said China’s influence in the area could threaten global trade and security, while the Chinese ambassador denied the accusation.

Ambassador Dorothy Camille Shea, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the United States, speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on June 22, 2025. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Chinese and U.S. representatives clashed on Monday at a U.N. Security Council meeting over the Panama Canal amid an ongoing battle over control of the waterway that connects the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans.

Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea raised concerns about Beijing’s “outsized influence” in the area, while Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong denied that Chinese influence on the ports has affected the neutrality of the canal.