The new administration's immigration crackdown is likely to be among the top issues during talks, but US President Donald Trump's claim that the Central American nation had ceded control of the Panama Canal to China will also loom large.

President Donald Trump cannot take the Panama Canal — at least not legally — as he would be violating every single treaty that the U.S. has come into with Panama since 1945, international law and national security experts told WLRN.

Nonetheless, Trump’s bet is to not have to pursue military conquest in the Athenian way. He would rather have a complacent Panama, accepting all U.S. demands. As shown by the recent Colombia-U.S. clash over deportations, Trump’s approach seems to be “cooperate or else.”

The United States will not allow the Panama Canal to be controlled by China. Such a statement, speaking to the faction of the ruling Republican Party of the House of Representatives of the US Congress,

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

Experts dispute President Donald Trump’s claims that the Panama Canal is controlled by China and overcharging U.S. ships.

IndustryWeek contributor and Panama expert Andrew R. Thomas says winning against China will likely look like Panamanian efforts to curb immigration into Central America and

When the Panama Canal was unveiled by the United States in 1914, the roughly 50-mile-long waterway symbolized American power and technological advancement. But the glow of progress soon faded. Building the canal killed roughly 5,

President Donald Trump speaking to House Republicans said that "China essentially has taken over" the Panama Canal.