Panama

United States

China

Economics

Politics

Panamanian Comptroller General Anel Flores filed a lawsuit asking the country's Supreme Court to nullify the contracts that allow a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison to operate two ports on both sides of the Panama Canal, Reuters reported on July 30. 

Panama: Auditor's Canal Lawsuit Confirms Heightened Contract Risks for Chinese Companies

Social Issues

Panamanian authorities suspended access to internet and mobile phone services in Bocas del Toro after President Jose Raul Mulino declared a state of emergency in the province following nearly two months of protests, Deutsche Welle reported June 21. 

Panama: State of Emergency on Protest-Ridden Province Unlikely to End Demonstrations in the Long Term 

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino asked the U.S. government to abstain from publicly commenting on Panama's domestic issues and to avoid dragging the country into a geopolitical conflict, Bloomberg Linea reported on June 12.

Panama: President Mulino Protests U.S. Rhetoric as U.S. Replaces Chinese Telecom Towers

Military & Security

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama, "Together, we will take back the Panama Canal from China's influence," Reuters reported on April 8.

U.S., Panama: U.S. Defense Secretary Reframes 'Taking Back' the Panama Canal

Panamanian Comptroller General Anel Flores said April 7 that Panama Ports, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison, did not receive the necessary approvals to have its Panama Canal concession extended in 2021 while using tax-exempt subcontractors to reduce the amount it pays the local government, Bloomberg reported April 7.

Panama: Audit Findings on CK Hutchison Subsidiary Flag Contract Risks for Chinese Companies

Hong Kong SAR, China

U.S.-China Relations

Chinese senior officials last week told state-owned enterprises to stop all business dealings with Li Ka-shing -- senior advisor to and former chairman of private, Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings -- and his family, according to Bloomberg sources on March 27.

China: Beijing Cuts State Sector Business with Li Ka-shing to Stop Port Deal

The Trump administration reportedly asked U.S. military officials for "credible military options" to secure U.S. access to the Panama Canal in an internal government memo titled "Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance," CNN reported on March 13.

U.S., Panama: Pentagon To Provide Options To Secure U.S. Access to Panama Canal

A consortium led by U.S. investment company BlackRock will acquire the two ports that a subsidiary of the Hong Kong-based company CK Hutchison Holdings currently operates at both ends of the Panama Canal, El Pais reported on March 4.

U.S., Panama: Ports Control Change To Reduce U.S. Pressure on Panama

Assessments

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(L-R) Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina attend a plenary session of the China-CELAC ministerial meeting at the Great Hall of the People on May 13, 2025, in Beijing, China. 

Global Trade

Latin America and the Caribbean will welcome China's increased engagement, but strong ties to the West and China's economic slowdown will limit Beijing's influence in the region.

Despite Stronger Trade Ties, China's Influence in Latin America Will Remain Limited

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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife Jeanette Rubio arrive at the State Department in Washington, D.C., to speak to employees on Jan. 21, 2025. 

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Expires, Rubio Tours Latin America

Chad

France

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Panamanian presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino on May 1, 2024, in Panama City. Panamanians will vote May 5 to select their next president and all 71 members of the National Assembly.

The Weekly Rundown: Panama Holds General Elections, Xi Visits Europe

Panama presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino of the conservative Realizing Goals party gestures during a campaign rally in Panama City on April 28, 2024. 

The Central American country's next president will take office at a time of deepening economic challenges and political tensions, creating business uncertainty and unrest risks in the years ahead.


Previewing Panama's Presidential Election

Flooding on the Rimac River on March 18, 2017, in Chosica, at the foot of the Andes east of Lima, Peru. The current El Nino contributed to floods, crop failure, heat waves and drought across Latin America in 2023, and its effects will persist until it lifts in the second quarter of 2024.

The current El Nino contributed to floods, crop failure, heat waves and drought across Latin America in 2023, and its effects will persist until it lifts in the second quarter of 2024.

How El Nino Will Impact Latin America in 2024

Columns

On Security

Policemen guard the car of Mayor Luis Chonillo after an attack on the official May 15, 2023, in Duran, Ecuador. Governments can take steps to stave off a surge in violence, but for many in the region, such measures will be politically and economically out of reach.

Governments can take steps to stave off a surge in violence, but for many in the region, such measures will be politically and economically out of reach.

Forecasting Latin America's Next Crime Hotspot After Ecuador

Snapshots

Strained government resources, increased organized crime, political tensions and supply chain disruptions are likely to rise in tandem with migration.

How Record Migration Will Impact Central America

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Cargo ships waiting to enter the Panama Canal are seen off the coast of Panama City on Aug. 23, 2023. 

Efforts to preserve the canal's low water levels have caused a traffic jam of cargo vessels, but the impact on shipping times and costs will be modest if the disruptions are short-lived.

Drought Restrictions at the Panama Canal Create Shipping Headaches

Guidance

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A woman wearing a face mask holds the former flag of Belarus at an anti-government protest in Minsk on Aug. 14, 2020. 

COVID-19

Security

Israel's Survival Strategy

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

China in Transition

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Normalized UAE-Israel Ties, Mass Protests in Belarus

Venezuela's Unraveling

On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Brazilian President Michel Temer, where the two may address several outstanding trade issues between their countries, including a recent tariff quota imposed by Brazil on U.S. ethanol imports.

U.S., Brazil: Dinner and a Dialogue on Trade Issues

Gambia

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China Puts the Squeeze on Taiwan

With an uncooperative administration in Taipei, Beijing is working to isolate the island.

Media

Poland

Videos

Ahead of Stratfor's next issue of Compass, which will be published May 2, Managing Editor Cole Altom discusses tax havens, Poland's economy and trade between Israel and China.

Compass Preview: May 2016

Panama is a small Central American country located between Colombia and Costa Rica that serves as a key chokepoint for global trade. Home to the 50-mile Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and shortens maritime shipping routes by thousands of miles, the country boasts a strategic importance that far outweighs its small size.     Foreign powers have utilized Panama's strategic location for centuries. The Spanish used the country to move valuable exports, such as gold, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and France attempted and failed to build a canal there in the late 19th century. During that time, Panama was Colombia's northernmost province, but around the turn of the century, the United States had begun expanding its influence in the Caribbean and recognized Panama's potential importance to global trade. The United States helped Panamanian rebels secede from Colombia in 1903, and it completed the transoceanic Panama Canal within the following decade. It also heavily influenced the newly independent republic's internal affairs, directly controlling the land around the Panama Canal until 1979. Indeed, most of the country's population lives in the area formerly controlled by the United States.     Nearly 12,000 ships pass through the Panama Canal every year, including container vessels, energy tankers, bulk cargo ships and naval vessels. Many of the largest ships in the world, such as liquefied natural gas tankers, oil tankers and some container ships, cannot pass through the canal. But despite that challenge, Panama will remain geopolitically important because it is still one of the few routes by which ships can shorten their transit time between the oceans.

SITUATION REPORTS

Panama: Auditor's Canal Lawsuit Confirms Heightened Contract Risks for Chinese Companies

Panama: State of Emergency on Protest-Ridden Province Unlikely to End Demonstrations in the Long Term

Panama: President Mulino Protests U.S. Rhetoric as U.S. Replaces Chinese Telecom Towers

U.S., Panama: U.S. Defense Secretary Reframes 'Taking Back' the Panama Canal

Panama: Audit Findings on CK Hutchison Subsidiary Flag Contract Risks for Chinese Companies

China: Beijing Cuts State Sector Business with Li Ka-shing to Stop Port Deal

U.S., Panama: Pentagon To Provide Options To Secure U.S. Access to Panama Canal

U.S., Panama: Ports Control Change To Reduce U.S. Pressure on Panama

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