Panama Caves; Will Stop Ceding Canal Privilges and Authorities to China

Speak Dondi and carry a big stick.

Panama's president vowed Sunday to end a key development deal with China after meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and after complaints from President Donald Trump that the Latin American country had ceded control over its critical shipping canal to Beijing.

José Raúl Mulino, Panama's president, said his nation's sovereignty over the 51-mile waterway, which connects the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, will remain unchanged. But he said he would not renew a 2017 memorandum of understanding to join China's Belt and Road global development initiative and that Panama would instead look to work more closely with the U.S.

"I think this visit opens the door to build new relations ... and try to increase as much as possible U.S. investments in Panama," Mulino told reporters after meeting with Rubio on his first international trip since being confirmed.

Rubio, who was a senator representing Florida before Trump tapped him to be America's top diplomat, said his team is ready to push the U.S. agenda.

"Had the pleasure of meeting the incredible @USEmbPAN team during my first embassy meet and greet in my new role as Secretary of State!" Rubio wrote in a post on X. "Thankful for their dedication and ongoing efforts to promoting President Trump's vision of an America First foreign policy."

During his visit, Rubio wrote in a post on X that "the United States cannot, and will not, allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue with its effective and growing control over the Panama Canal area."

Ric Grennell also got the communist dictatorship of Venezuela to release six American hostages -- if you don't know about them, it's because Regime media covered up for Biden -- and to agree to take back their criminal citizens, including those of the Tren de Aragua prison gang.

Venezuela has agreed to take back its violent criminal migrants nabbed in the US -- including members of the Tren de Aragua gang wreaking havoc on the Big Apple and other cities, President Trump says.

"We are in the process of removing record numbers of illegal aliens from all countries, and all countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back," the president wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.

"Venezuela has agreed to receive, back into their country, all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S., including gang members of Tren de Aragua," Trump said.

The announcement comes on the heels for a meeting between US enjoy Richard Grenell and Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro on Friday -- with Grenell returning to the US with six American citizens who had been detained in the South American country.

The Trump administration insisted that the visit does not signal US recognition of Maduro's iron-fisted rule, nor did the White House offer any concessions to Venezuela as a result of the migrant arrangement.

Meanwhile: Begun, the tariff wars have.

President Donald Trump defended his recent tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday night -- and hinted that the European Union may suffer a similar fate.

The tariffs, which were authorized in an executive order on Saturday, will go into effect Tuesday. Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 25% additional tariff will be levied on imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 10% tariff on imports from China.

In the executive order, Trump said that the tariffs stem from an "extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, [that] constitutes a national emergency."

The tariffs have invited international criticism from leaders and citizens alike in Canada and Mexico. During his exchange with reporters on Sunday evening, Trump accused Canada of being "abusive" toward the U.S. in terms of trade.

"Canada has been very abusive of the United States for many years. They don't allow our banks," Trump claimed. "And you know that Canada does not allow banks to go in, if you think about it. That's pretty amazing. If we have a U.S. bank, they don't allow them to go in."

"Canada has been very tough for oil on energy. They don't allow our farm products in, essentially. They don't allow a lot of things in. And we allow everything to come in as being a one-way street."

Trump also claimed that the U.S. subsidizes Canada "by the tune of about $200 billion a year."

"And for what? What do we get out of it? We don't get anything out of it," he added. "I love the people of Canada. I disagree with the leadership of Canada and something is going to happen there."

The Republican leader also said that he will "definitely" impose tariffs against the European Union, which he said the U.S. has a $300 billion trade deficit with.

"They don't take our cars, they don't take our farm products, they take almost nothing," Trump said. "And we take everything from them. Millions of cars, tremendous amounts of food and farm products. So the UK is way out of line and we'll see the UK, but the European Union is really out of line."

Update! Now Mexico backs down.

On Sunday, Donald Trump followed through with his threat to implement a 25 percent tariff on Mexico and Canada, and it only took one day for Mexico to bend the knee.

Following a phone call between President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the latter announced a series of concessions. In her statement, she agreed to surge 10,000 Mexican National Guard soldiers to the border to combat fentanyl trafficking, with the United States agreeing to pause the tariffs for one month to ensure Sheinbaum follows through.

Pierre Castreau whines like a bitch to American liberals to fight the tariffs, and also says he'll impose retaliatory tariffs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods Saturday following President Trump's decision to impose a 25% tariff on imports from both nations.

Key Details:

The U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports Friday, with an additional 10% tariff on Canadian energy products. Chinese goods face a separate 10% tariff.

In response, Trudeau announced a 25% tariff on $155 billion worth of U.S. goods, targeting products like beer, wine, bourbon, fruits, vegetables, perfume, clothing, and shoes.

President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo also ordered retaliatory tariffs. She directed her economy minister to implement "Plan B," which includes tariff and non-tariff measures, and called for dialogue, emphasizing that problems are solved through cooperation, not tariffs.

Trump isn't done yet, either.

President Trump responds to speculation that he will impose tariffs on European Union countries.

Reporters: Are you going to impose tariffs on the European Union?

Trump: “Do you want the truthful answer or the political answer?”

Reporters: “The truthful answer.”

Trump:… pic.twitter.com/al3CFU0x02

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 2, 2025

Woody Allen observed, rightly, that 90% of success "is just showing up." America has not been showing up for 60 years. The Regime is possessed by the idea that we must give everything away to "our European and Asian allies" because we have to feed them both actual and de facto subsidies, forever, so that they don't topple over as part of the Domino Theory of communist takeover.

Meanwhile, we long ago abandoned even the fig leaf of a "fair trade" policy. Arch-libertarians proclaimed during the 80s that countries slapping tariffs and barriers to trade on us was fine, because, their highly ideological theorizing went, that still means that America's getting cheaper foreign goods. We're getting a bargain, they say, and when you ask them at what price this "bargain" comes -- say, at the demolition of huge sectors of American industry and permanently depressed wages for workers, they claim this just isn't happening, it's just a figment of your retrograde imagination, and even if it is happening, it's good that it's happening, because keeping American wages at a low level keeps inflation low.

Another case of "it's not happening and also, it's good that it's happening!"

We have literally never had a debate on the arch-libertarian theory that unfair trade somehow benefits us, and the people certainly never agreed in any election to this theory, but the Regime likes it because they do in fact get rich off trade (and bribes), and that's that. They don't have to seek the consent of the governed, they'll just steamroll over the governed as they've always done.

If unfair trade practices directed at America by foreign countries is actually good for America, doesn't that also mean that American tariffs slapped on foreign countries will likewise be good for their economies, too?

Let's find out.

posted by Ace at 01:10 PM

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