US to 'take back' Panama

DEAL: AMERICA SEEKING FREE PASSAGE THROUGH CANAL — PENTAGON CHIEF

- 

S Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth floated the idea on Wednesday of US troops returning to Panama to "secure" its strategically vital canal, a suggestion quickly shot down by the Central American country's government.

Hegseth suggested during a visit to Panama that "by invitation" the US could "revive" military bases or naval air stations and rotate deployments of US troops to an isthmus the US invaded 35 years ago.

He also said his country was seeking free passage through the canal for its Navy ships - which US President Donald Trump had said were "severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form".

Trump, since coming to power in January, has repeatedly claimed that China has too much influence over the canal, which handles about 40% of US container traffic and five percent of world trade.

His administration has vowed to "take back" control of the strategic waterway that the US funded, built and controlled until 1999.