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In the tariff war between China and the United States, a lot of chatter in the Pravda Media is about Xi Jinping's defiance, his outreach to European countries and other less important but collectively significant developing countries, and his retaliatory moves against America. They make it sound like China has a lot of cards to play in the trade war with America. China has put civilian government officials on a "wartime footing” and ordered a diplomatic charm offensive aimed at encouraging other countries to push back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. https://t.co/rZWU2zsARQ— The Japan Times (@japantimes) April 14, 2025Collectively,...

A second member of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's inner circle has been placed on leave after an investigation into leaks of potentially sensitive information. Darin Selnick, the Defense Department's deputy chief of staff, was suspended from duty and escorted out of the building. This came on the heels of another Hegseth aide, Dan Caldwell, being escorted out of the Pentagon; see Hegseth Advisor Who Was Included in Leaked Signal Text Chain Escorted From Pentagon, Placed on Leave – RedState.Selnick is a retired Air Force officer and, like Caldwell, was part of a group Hegseth brought with him from Concerned...

While the focus of the Trump administration has been on seizing control of the Panama Canal from China, another port on the Pacific Ocean side of South America, CopiaPort-E in Chile, billed as the “Rotterdam of the Pacific,” demands President Trump’s attention. The World Bank, UNESCO, and the Chinese Communist Party had long planned for CopiaPort-E’s 8-kilometer-long natural breakwater peninsula to be the landing pad for China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) in South America. If the Trump administration acts fast, President Trump can block the final step in China’s BRI expansion plans in South America before China finalizes the...

In a bold move signaling America's renewed strength on the global stage, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is set to visit Panama as President Donald Trump declares the U.S. is "reclaiming" control over the Panama Canal. With the Trump administration focused on asserting American influence and safeguarding vital national interests, this trip marks a significant step in strengthening ties with Panama and reinforcing the strategic importance of the canal to U.S. trade and security. As the president takes decisive action on the world stage, Hegseth's visit underscores a broader push to reclaim America's leadership role in global affairs. Hegseth is...

China has held up the $23 billion sale of dozens of ports worldwide — including two key ports in the Panama Canal — to a group led by US investing giant BlackRock after President Trump expressed concern about Beijing’s sway over the strategic shipping lanes. On March 4, CK Hutchison, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate controlled by 96-year-old billionaire Li Ka-shing, announced plans to sell 43 port facilities globally — including critical ports at both ends of the Panama Canal and near the Suez Canal — for approximately $22.8 billion. But China’s State Administration for Market Regulation unexpectedly initiated an investigation...

The Chinese government has intervened to stop the planned April 2 sale of two Panama Canal ports owned by the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchinson to the US-based conglomerate Black Rock. CK Hutchinson operates two of the five ports adjacent to the Panama Canal. Panama first awarded the company the concession to run the ports in 1998 and extended it for another 25 years in 2021. The Canal is a major maritime chokepoint and manages about 3% of the global maritime trade. The issue of Chinese ownership of critical ports serving the Panama Canal predates President Trump's second term; see...

Trump’s Blackrock deal is far from over. Generations of sending American jobs, tech, and manufacturing to China was equivalent to feeding wild tigers near the local kindergarten. And now jungles are full of tigers used to getting their way. I made the tiger photograph in the wilds of India. I made the video below in the wilds of Darien Gap. At an Embera village called Bajo Chiquito. Notice the Georgia Bulldogs tattoo. Maybe this guy is going to Georgia. And the man to his right. Wearing the cross. As many do. And the nice watch. After crossing through Darien Gap....

"The ship was in the midst of a southbound transit through the canal when it suffered the casualty, Under orders from U.S. 3rd Fleet commander Vice Adm. Nora Tyson, Zumwalt is now stopped for repairs at the former U.S. Naval Station Rodman, he said." Hutchison Whampoa Limited controls former U.S. Naval Station Rodman.

Commentary President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the jobs report from the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 7.Commentary President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the jobs report from the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 7. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images) Trump Orders Military to Plan Operation for Retaking Panama Canal: Report By Samantha Chang March 14, 2025 at 6:45am Advertisement - story continues below President Donald Trump has directed the military to devise options for expanding U.S. troop presence in Panama to achieve his goal of “reclaiming” the...

The ports surrounding the Panama Canal are about to come under American ownership. American asset management giant BlackRock (BLK) and a group of investors have agreed to buy ports on both sides of the Panama Canal from owner CK Hutchinson Holdings for nearly $23 billion, the Hong Kong-based firm announced Tuesday.

A BlackRock-led consortium has agreed a $22.8 billion deal to buy two major Panama Canal ports owned by a Hong Kong-based conglomerate following intense pressure from US President Donald Trump over alleged Chinese interference in the critical trade route. The sale is a victory for Trump, the Financial Times noted. The president had repeatedly suggested the US could take the Canal back, citing national security concerns: The waterway is controlled by Panama, but the ports at either end are privately owned. This deal brings two at either entry to the Canal under US ownership. The BlackRock-led group will acquire a...

The State Department said Wednesday that U.S. government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without being charged fees. "The government of Panama has agreed to no longer charge fees for U.S. government vessels to transit the Panama Canal," the department said in a post on X, adding the agreement will save the U.S. government millions of dollars a year. The Panama Canal Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The tides are turning. After Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit, Panama has AGREED to: 🔴 Grant U.S. Navy ships FREE passage through the Panama Canal. 🔴 TERMINATE its canal deal with China—cutting Beijing’s grip on global trade. 🔴 EXIT China’s 2017 ‘Belt and Road Initiative’—ending CCP influence in the region. This is a MAJOR blow to China’s expansionist agenda and a massive WIN for American dominance. The globalist order is crumbling, and the U.S. is BACK.

MASSIVE win for @SecRubio Following his meeting with the Panamanians, the country’s president announced that it will not be renewing its deal with China’s Belt and Road ... If people don’t know anything about the historic Silk Road and China’s Belt and Road initiative, it’s time to learn. ... Ahhhh HA! Trump is right! The Chinese has been using the Panama Canal and Panama has been profiting… .... the last admin was working for the CCP ... Now let's do Cuba. Let's get rid of the Communist regime in Cuba once and for all. There should not be a communist...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino on Sunday, making it clear that the U.S. won’t tolerate China’s growing influence over the Panama Canal. “Secretary Rubio informed President Mulino and Minister Martínez-Acha that President Trump has made a preliminary determination that the current position of influence and control of the Chinese Communist Party over the Panama Canal area is a threat to the canal and represents a violation of the Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal,” the State Department said in a statement. “Secretary Rubio made clear that this status...

The Monroe Doctrine, established in 1823, was originally drafted to protect U.S. interests against European powers that could try to recolonize South American countries gaining independence from Spain and to ward off Russian moves into the Pacific Northwest. Czarist Russia bloodlessly desisted from attempts to colonize the West Coast and Alaska. However, U.S. hemispheric dominance has proved more difficult to enforce in Latin America, involving the U.S. in local conflicts that have led to past military interventions. President Obama’s secretary of state, John Kerry, declared before the Organization of American States in 2013 that “the Monroe Doctrine is over.” But...

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton claimed Friday on CNN’s “Newsroom” that President Donald Trump talking about taking back the Panama Canal and not ruling out using military force “makes us look ridiculous.” Host Jim Acosta said, “I just wanted to get your take on what Trump said during his inaugural speech earlier this week that the U.S. should take back the Panama Canal. Do you take that seriously? And what does that mean, take back the panama canal? Does he mean some sort of military operation or pressuring the Panamanians to hand it back over to the U.S.?” Bolton...

US President Donald Trump had a “fiery” and contentious phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen last week, during which Trump insisted he was serious about taking over Greenland, European officials told the Financial Times. The officials, who were not identified by the FT, said the conversation had gone very badly, with one describing it as “horrendous.” Another official said that Trump’s intention to take over Greenland was “serious, and potentially very dangerous.” For weeks, Trump has voiced his interest in taking over Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Canada, in what analysts say reflect his hardball diplomacy. Frederiksen has...

Rep. Dusty Johnson unveiled legislation that would authorize the repurchase of the Panama Canal, giving congressional teeth to President-elect Donald Trump’s wish to take back the strategic waterway. The Panama Canal Repurchase Act of 2025 would give Mr. Trump, in coordination with the secretary of state, the authority to enter into negotiations with the Panamanian government to buy the canal. Mr. Trump recently said the U.S. should regain control of the Panama Canal to bolster national security interests, largely over concerns about China’s influence over the operations... Panama became a part of China’s Belt and Road initiative in 2018...

President-elect Donald Trump has reiterated his desire for the US to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, calling both critical to American national security. Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over the autonomous Danish territory or the Canal, he responded: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two. "But I can say this, we need them for economic security," he told reporters during a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Both Denmark and Panama have rejected any suggestion that they would give up territory. Trump also...