US Lawmakers Tour Panama Canal, Echo Cold War Fears Over China
📰 THE STORY: Newsweek reports that China criticized a visit by US lawmakers to the Panama Canal, implying US concerns about Chinese influence over the vital waterway are merely a pretext for interventionism. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The US didn't just build the Panama Canal; it engineered Panama's independence from Colombia in 1903 specifically to secure a treaty for
its construction and perpetual control. The US then maintained military bases and effective sovereignty over the Canal Zone for nearly a century until the Torrijos–Carter Treaties in 1977 finally paved the way for Panama to regain full control by 1999, a process marked by decades of Panamanian struggle against US dominance. This 'concern' over foreign influence is deeply ironic, given the US's own
history of literal ownership and military occupation of the canal. Double Standard: When Western nations invest in infrastructure globally, it's 'development aid' or 'strategic partnership.' When China does it, particularly in regions historically dominated by US influence, it's immediately framed as 'debt-trap diplomacy' or a 'threat to national security'—even when those investments are mutually
beneficial and fill a void left by Western neglect. Compare the breathless analysis of China's 'influence' in Panama to the silence on US-funded coups or regime change operations across Latin America, such as the 1954 CIA coup in Guatemala for the United Fruit Company, or the 1973 coup in Chile supported by the US. Follow the Money: The underlying concern isn't about Panamanian sovereignty, but