Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday he had "zero doubt" that China has a contingency plan to shut down the Panama Canal in the event of a conflict with the U.S. and that Washington intends to address what it sees as a national security threat.

President Trump is reportedly dispatching his newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Panama for his first foreign trip. Here's what's at stake.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says President Donald Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland and retake control of the Panama Canal is driven by legitimate national security interests stemming from growing concerns about Chinese activity in the Arctic and in Latin America.

While repeating Trump’s lies about Panama, Senate leaders from both parties provide fraudulent justifications for a military intervention against the impoverished Central American country.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, discussed a scenario in which China could disrupt U.S. trade by blocking off the canal.

Newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing to "take back" the Panama Canal, the world's second busiest interoceanic waterway.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Tuesday expressed alarm at China's influence on the Panama Canal, which President Donald Trump has vowed the United States would take back.

Panama has owned and administered the Panama Canal for nearly three decades. President Trump wants to change that to counter growing Chinese influence in Latin America.

Newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump is pushing to “take back” the Panama Canal, the world’s second busiest interoceanic waterway,

Amid Trump’s bid to acquire Greenland, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) also stressed the need to properly compete with China and “send them back to their own hemisphere.” He added that Trump publicly expressing interest in Greenland is “broadcasting” that “America is great again.”

Three of President Donald Trump’s cabinet picks prepared for skepticism and intense grilling from Democratic senators during their confirmation hearings Thursday