Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Panamanian president amid Trump’s Panama Canal push

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino Sunday amid his first overseas trip, as the Trump administration makes a push for control of the Panama Canal.

Rubio, the first Latino secretary of state, made the trip in part to reiterate President Trump's concern that China has too much influence over the Panama Canal, and needs control of the waterway for economic security, though Mulino has refuted the claim. Rubio toured the canal on Sunday and doubled down on the administration's plan to make immediate changes, according to his office spokesperson, Tammy Bruce.

"Secretary Rubio also emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts to end the hemisphere's illegal migration crisis and thanked President Mulino for his support of a joint repatriation program, which has reduced illegal migration through the Darien Gap," Bruce said in a statement.

Speaking at the U.S. embassy, the secretary of state said that Panama is very important to the U.S. and thanked all the staff that serve the embassy.

The Panama Canal serves as a shortcut between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. And although the U.S. led the construction of the major waterway that around 40% of the world's cargo ship traffic now moves through, its control was given to Panama in 1999.

In the meeting, Rubio told the Panamanian leader that Mr. Trump has determined that China's influence on the Panama Canal is "a threat to the canal and represents a violation of the Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal," a spokesperson said in a statement.

Meanwhile, President Trump on Saturday signed an executive order that imposes 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, which come after months of threatening to do so as he seeks to leverage trade policy even against some of the U.S.' largest economic allies.

Mr. Trump acknowledged Sunday that there may be "some pain" with the tariffs in a social media post. But he argued that "it will all be worth the price that must be paid."

The tariffs come in part to curb the flow of undocumented immigrants, as well as illicit drugs, into the U.S. And Rubio's first overseas visit to Central America and the Caribbean, of which Panama is the initial stop, also comes as the Trump administration seeks cooperation on its immigration policy from nearby countries, like Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, criticized the president's move on Sunday, saying in an appearance on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that the tariffs are "going to end up costing consumers," with increased prices on goods from avocados and beer to cars and trucks.

"Remember, Donald Trump got hired trying to lower, saying he was going to lower grocery prices," Warner said. "Two weeks in, he's doing something that's going to do the absolute opposite."

Ed O'Keefe contributed to this report.

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