Trump's new top maritime official Louis Sola tells CNBC 'all options on the table' to punish Panama and defend U.S. business, trade and national security.

Newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing to "take back" the Panama Canal, the world's second busiest interoceanic waterway.

China's influence on the Panama Canal is a major risk to U.S. national security, Sen. Ted Cruz told lawmakers during a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill.

Panama has owned and administered the Panama Canal for nearly three decades. President Trump wants to change that to counter growing Chinese influence in Latin America.

The Tuesday hearing delved into security issues and foreign influence on the foremost maritime channel connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

When I first travelled to Panama City in 2012, the big real estate story – in a town obsessed with real estate – was the Trump Ocean Club. My driver from Tocumen airport, Roberto, had chauffeured its namesake the previous year.

When the Panama Canal was unveiled by the United States in 1914, the roughly 50-mile-long waterway symbolized American power and technological advancement. But the glow of progress soon faded. Building the canal killed roughly 5,

US senators heard sharply different analyses about Chinese influence over the Panama Canal on Wednesday, with some experts suggesting solutions ranging from enhanced trade partnerships to military intervention to regain control of the strategic waterway.

Donald Trump has been eyeing countries and territories beyond America’s borders in recent weeks, threatening to bring the Panama Canal, Greenland, and even Canada under US authority. While he has yet to put any plans in motion,

Panama President José Raúl Mulino says there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the Panama Canal.

Panama's President José Raúl Mulino confirms discussions about US control of the Panama Canal are non-negotiable. He hopes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit will focus on cooperation concerning migration and anti-drug trafficking efforts.