Rubio says Trump’s interest in Greenland and Panama Canal is legit and driven by China concerns

“What I deliberation you tin remainder assured of is that 4 years from now, our involvement successful the Arctic volition beryllium much secure; our involvement successful the Panama Canal volition beryllium much secure,” Rubio said successful an interrogation with SiriusXM big Megyn Kelly.

Rubio volition get successful Panama connected Saturday connected his archetypal authoritative overseas travel arsenic America’s apical diplomat, signaling the value that some helium and Trump spot connected securing the canal. Although migration volition beryllium a large taxable of speech successful Panama and astatine his different stops, Rubio said the canal contented is simply a priority.

Chinese investments successful ports and different infrastructure and facilities astatine some the Pacific and Caribbean ends of the canal are a origin for large concern, leaving Panama and the captious shipping way susceptible to China, helium said.

“They’re each implicit Panama,” Rubio said of Chinese companies that galore experts judge are beholden to the authorities successful Beijing and would transportation retired orders to chopped disconnected oregon bounds postulation to the canal successful the lawsuit of a struggle with Taiwan oregon an unrelated breakdown successful relations with the US “If the authorities successful China successful a struggle tells them to unopen down the Panama Canal, they volition person to,” helium said. “I person zero uncertainty that they person contingency readying to bash truthful that is simply a nonstop threat.”

Rubio added that “if China wanted to obstruct postulation successful the Panama Canal, they could” and that would beryllium a usurpation of the 1977 pact signed by erstwhile President Jimmy Carter nether which the US ceded power of the American-built canal to Panama successful 1999.

He besides echoed Trump’s ailment that American ships are being overcharged for utilizing the canal, which would besides beryllium a usurpation of the treaty. “We should not beryllium successful a presumption of having to wage much than different countries. In fact, we should beryllium getting a discount oregon possibly for free, due to the fact that we paid for the thing,” helium said.

Earlier Thursday, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said determination volition beryllium nary dialog with the United States implicit ownership of the Panama Canal and that helium hoped Rubio’s sojourn would alternatively absorption connected shared interests similar migration and combating cause trafficking. “It’s impossible, I can’t negotiate,” Mulino said erstwhile asked astir returning the canal to US control. “That is done. The canal belongs to Panama.” But Rubio said it would beryllium discussed.

“We’re going to code that topic,” helium said. “The president’s been beauteous wide helium wants to administer the canal again. Obviously, the Panamanians are not large fans of that idea. That connection has been brought precise clear.”

On Greenland, helium said Denmark, of which Greenland is simply a part, did not person the capableness to support Greenland from China arsenic it seeks to summation a beingness successful the Arctic to exploit shipping routes.

And since Greenland is already covered by the NATO communal defence pact owed to its narration with Denmark, it made consciousness for the US to person a greater beingness and authorization there. “If we’re already connected the hook for having to bash that, we mightiness arsenic good person much power implicit what happens there. I cognize it’s a delicate taxable for Denmark, but it’s again a nationalist involvement point for the United States,” Rubio said.