China: what's happening and what it means

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warns hemisphere sovereignty is "non-negotiable" as U.S. and allies condemn China's reported detention of Panama ships. China has emerged this Friday as one of the stories drawing attention in United States.

Key facts

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio warns hemisphere sovereignty is "non-negotiable" as U.S. and allies condemn China's reported detention of Panama ships.
• Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang discusses China’s oil slowdown, sanctions loopholes, and military threats toward Taiwan on ‘Mornings with Maria.’.
• Rising tensions over Panama Canal prompt US-China showdown in global shipping power struggle.
• The Panama Canal has emerged as the latest maritime flashpoint, with the United States and China exchanging barbs in recent weeks over influence in what is one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
• list 2 of 4Panama’s president alleges US threatening to revoke visas over China ties.

What we know

Going deeper, Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang discusses China’s oil slowdown, sanctions loopholes, and military threats toward Taiwan on ‘Mornings with Maria.’.

On the substance, Rising tensions over Panama Canal prompt US-China showdown in global shipping power struggle.

Beyond the headlines, the Panama Canal has emerged as the latest maritime flashpoint, with the United States and China exchanging barbs in recent weeks over influence in what is one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

More precisely, list 2 of 4Panama’s president alleges US threatening to revoke visas over China ties.

It is worth noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned China that "the sovereignty of our hemisphere is non-negotiable" after the U.S. and regional allies accused Beijing of detaining Panama-flagged ships in a dispute tied to canal port control.

By the numbers

At this stage, IRAN’S $800M OIL SMUGGLING SCHEME USES TANKERS POSING AS IRAQI SHIPS TO DODGE BLOCKADE.

On a related note, the confrontation follows Panama’s Supreme Court decision earlier in 2026 to invalidate the legal framework behind Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison’s long-held control of the Balboa and Cristobal terminals flanking the Panama Canal, a choke point that handles roughly 5% of global maritime trade.

Going deeper, U.S. regulators have monitored nearly 70 Panama-flagged vessels detained by Chinese authorities since March 8, according to Reuters

On the substance, list 1 of 4Audit finds Hong Kong company breached Panama Canal ports contract.

What they're saying

“We do not wish to engage in controversy, as we value respectful relations with all nations,” he said.

“While not yet a permanent ‘new normal’, the pattern of coercive signalling, accusations, and counter-accusations suggests higher baseline risk, politicised shipping lanes, and more frequent disruptions to commercial flows and insurance markets globally,” Khalique told Al Jazeera.

“My personal view is that the straits will be open through some sort of negotiated agreement between Iran and the United States,” Kraska said. “And so I believe and hope that this does not become a new normal in the Strait of Hormuz.”

The wider context

On a related note, China has used Iran to destabilize the Middle East.

Going deeper, In effect, Iran has been China’s proxy," China expert Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital, arguing Beijing’s actions in Panama fit a broader global pattern in which China uses economic leverage, trade pressure and regional partners to expand influence while condemning similar tactics from Washington.

On the substance, Chang said Beijing is now facing growing resistance as the U.S. increasingly moves not only against China directly, but also against governments and geopolitical flash points he argues have strengthened Beijing’s hand.

Beyond the headlines, Trump apparently decided that he would counter this sly tactic by taking China’s proxies — Venezuela, Cuba and Iran — off the board," Chang said.

More precisely, Closing the Strait of Hormuz is a two-fer, starving Iran’s regime and shaking China’s already fragile economy," Chang said.

The bottom line

• The Panama Canal has emerged as the latest maritime flashpoint, with the United States and China exchanging barbs in recent weeks over influence in what is one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
• Nobody does hypocrisy better than the Chinese Communists," he said, arguing that China long benefited from a global trading system it increasingly weaponized for geopolitical purposes.
• The elemental truth is that China started this cycle of action and retaliation," Chang said.
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