PANAMA CITY, Panama (AFP) — The United States (US) will not allow China to “threaten” the operations of the Panama Canal, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned during a visit to the Central American nation on Tuesday.

Hegseth is the second senior US official to visit Panama since President Donald Trump took office in January vowing to “take back” the US-built canal to counter what he sees as China’s influence over the waterway.

“Today, the Panama Canal faces ongoing threats,” Hegseth said in a speech at a police station located at the entry to the shipping route.

“The United States of America will not allow communist China or any other country to threaten the canal’s operation or integrity,” he added.

The US built the more than century-old canal and handed it over to Panama in 1999.

Hegseth met with Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino, with the two issuing a joint statement that affirmed security ties — though there was a notable discrepancy in the versions released by both sides on the issue of Panama’s sovereignty over the canal.

“Secretary Hegseth recognized Panama’s leadership and inalienable sovereignty over the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas,” read a Spanish-language statement released by Mulino’s office.