https://www.scmp.com/rss/523061/feed The latest news and top stories on Kevin Marino Cabrera, the US Ambassador to Panama since May 2025. Previously, he was Miami-Dade County's Commissioner, chairing the Airport Committee and acting as Vice Chair of the International Trade Consortium. Cabrera also held a significant role as Florida State Director for Donald J. Trump's 2020 re-election campaign. He's a first-generation Cuban American. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison’s US$22.8 billion global ports sale hung in the balance at the end of 2025, nearly 10 months after it was first announced, as a veteran political commentator said the most expensive terminal acquisition in history was unlikely to come to fruition amid geopolitical tensions. What began as a strategic exit for billionaire Li Ka-shing’s conglomerate devolved into a high-stakes geopolitical stand-off between Washington and Beijing over the control of global trade... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3338430/could-2026-be-make-or-break-year-ck-hutchisons-panama-ports-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3338430/could-2026-be-make-or-break-year-ck-hutchisons-panama-ports-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 02:15:08 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick The United States on Thursday underscored its maritime security partnership with Panama, as a high-stakes dispute involving China, US investors and a Hong Kong conglomerate continues to cloud the future ownership of key ports at the Panama Canal. US Ambassador Kevin Cabrera boarded the US Coast Guard cutter Alert during a port visit in Panama City, praising joint operations ranging from counter-narcotics missions to search-and-rescue efforts carried out with Panama’s Ministry of Public... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3336974/us-highlights-panama-security-ties-china-linked-canal-ports-deal-stalls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3336974/us-highlights-panama-security-ties-china-linked-canal-ports-deal-stalls?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 20:59:58 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen China has accused the United States of showing “a lack of basic respect” for Central America following its threat to ban officials and others from the region with ties to the Communist Party from entering the country. The State Department said last month that it would “restrict US visas for Central American nationals … intentionally acting on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party” and who “knowingly direct, authorise, fund, provide significant support to, or carry out activities that undermine... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329829/china-says-us-visa-threats-central-america-show-lack-basic-respect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329829/china-says-us-visa-threats-central-america-show-lack-basic-respect?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 11:11:08 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Diplomatic tensions between China and the United States over Panama have flared up once again, with the Chinese embassy in the Central American country accusing Washington’s top envoy there of “spreading lies” to undermine Beijing’s regional ties. This comes after the US ambassador to Panama, Kevin Cabrera, said that Washington viewed China’s presence in the Panama Canal as “malign”. Beijing was fooling Latin America with its investments, he claimed in an interview with digital media outlet... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3328030/china-says-us-ambassador-panama-spreading-lies-after-he-slams-malign-presence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3328030/china-says-us-ambassador-panama-spreading-lies-after-he-slams-malign-presence?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:00:10 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China’s state media and diplomats lashed out at Washington on Wednesday after nine Panamanian lawmakers joined a global parliamentary alliance that Beijing denounced as an anti-China front. The move, announced in Panama’s National Assembly a day earlier at a ceremony backed by the US ambassador, drew sharp criticism from state outlets such as the China Daily and Global Times, which accused Washington of coercion and manipulation. The lawmakers declared their membership in the Inter-Parliamentary... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3323405/washington-draws-rebuke-beijing-after-panamanian-lawmakers-join-anti-china-group?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3323405/washington-draws-rebuke-beijing-after-panamanian-lawmakers-join-anti-china-group?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 17:48:07 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen China has clashed with the United States in a UN session over the Panama Canal, a flash point in bilateral ties under the Trump administration, while accusing Washington of being “the biggest disrupter of peace and stability” in the South China Sea. “China has always respected the permanent neutrality of the canal and firmly supports Panama in safeguarding its sovereignty over the canal to ensure its openness and smooth operation,” Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the United Nations, told the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321555/china-accuses-us-using-lies-pretext-seeking-control-panama-canal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321555/china-accuses-us-using-lies-pretext-seeking-control-panama-canal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 07:26:01 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick The US ambassador to Panama on Wednesday called for the removal of Chinese-linked operators from key Panama Canal ports, sharpening Washington’s campaign to curb Beijing’s alleged influence over Latin American strategic infrastructure. Speaking during a visit to Colon, Kevin Marino Cabrera criticised Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison, and said Washington supported efforts to replace it. “Our position is that they are a bad operator. They have not done a good... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3321147/us-envoy-calls-barring-chinese-linked-operators-key-panama-canal-ports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3321147/us-envoy-calls-barring-chinese-linked-operators-key-panama-canal-ports?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2025 19:09:11 +0000