The Panama Canal – China’s illusive chess piece: What China’s presence in the Panama Canal may mean for regional and global security

Abstract

Our current global political system is being challenged, and one focal point of that struggle can be found in Central America. There, the Panama Canal has become a piece in a larger geopolitical game. For many years the canal has been of immense importance to international trade as well as to international security. While the United States was once the guarantor of its security, China has now established a large presence in the region. This has been accomplished by using corporations as fronts for a civilian-led take-over of ports and harbors in the Canal Zone. China’s current posture has ramifications for the security in and around the Canal, to the effect that China now has a strategic choke-hold on the US in the region.