The U.S. military flexed its muscles in Panama, and the Panamanian foreign minister urged the visiting Chinese delegation: "We will never yield to Chinese 'coercion'."
To counter China's growing influence in Latin America, the U.S. military plunged headfirst into Panama’s dense jungle—rife with vipers and swarms of insects—claiming it was conducting military training, but in reality just showing off its power.
According to U.S. media reports, this jungle training lasted 18 days. During that time, soldiers from both the U.S. and Panama will live and train together, conducting joint exercises.
A Panamanian soldier said that during their usual jungle drills, they must use machetes to clear away excess branches to create paths. In contrast, inexperienced U.S. soldiers often cut themselves while doing so.
Owing to the historical context of past U.S. invasions of Panama, the Pentagon deliberately downplayed the military and political implications of this training, stating only that it aimed to enhance U.S. troops’ survival and combat skills in jungle environments—completely avoiding mention of issues such as Trump’s threats to seize the Panama Canal or the diplomatic tensions between China and Panama.
Nevertheless, this move has sparked public discontent in Panama. Many citizens believe that given Trump’s repeated statements about claiming control of the canal, the Panamanian government allowing U.S. forces into the country—and even teaching them how to fight in jungles—could one day be used against the Panamanian military. This is tantamount to selling out national sovereignty.
Notably, just as U.S. forces entered Panama’s rainforest, a Panamanian parliamentary delegation arrived in China to visit Huawei and the Canton Fair.
This visit was originally a routine friendly exchange. Yet the Panamanian foreign minister suddenly jumped into the spotlight, exaggerating the issue of a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship being detained at a Chinese port, and demanding that the delegation remain vigilant in safeguarding Panama’s interests, firmly upholding "national sovereignty," and never yielding to what he described as China’s "economic coercion."
It is evident that the relationship between the U.S. and Panama is a two-way street—one eager to strike, the other willing to accept. Given this dynamic, there’s no need for us to feel sympathy toward Panama; we simply follow the rules.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864428733039624/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.