Senators on both sides of the aisle raised concerns over how Chinese aggression and influence on the Panama Canal could have major implications on U.S. trade and national security during a hearing in a key Senate committee on Tuesday morning.

On Monday, representatives of left-wing organizations in the Dominican Republic strongly opposed the upcoming visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, declaring him “persona non grata.” They criticized the visit as an effort to deepen the country’s dependence on the United States in economic,

Marco Rubio will head overseas late next week; he's also scheduled to visit Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

Rubio's stop in Panama also comes as Trump in recent weeks has said he wants the Panama Canal back under U.S. control, claiming that “American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way,

Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Central America comes after President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to take the Panama Canal back.

China's expanding footprint in Latin America is expected to be high on the agenda when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Panama next week on his first overseas trip since taking office, according to observers.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Panama on his first trip abroad as the top U.S. diplomat after President

Washington, DC.- Newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to embark on his inaugural tour, which includes a visit to the Dominican Republic and several other Latin American countries.

The new Secretary of State already has said the Hong Kong-based operator of Panama Canal-adjacent ports could be a “big national security and defense problem.”

China may have investments in the operations of the Panama Canal but its soldiers are not operating it.

Marco Rubio will travel to Panama on his first trip abroad as secretary of State. The visit comes as Donald Trump looks to reclaim Panama's canal.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Panama — the country whose canal President Donald Trump has suggested he’d seize — as early as next week, according to three U.S. officials briefed on the plan.