Florida International University convened its 10th annual Hemispheric Security Conference on Monday to discuss the elephant in the room: China.
China and the strategic Panama Canal are much on the minds of the western hemisphere security leaders and experts gathered at FIU. Admiral Alvin Holsey, who heads the U.S. military’s Southern Command in Doral, spoke for many when he said China’s mushrooming economic and infrastructure influence around the canal and Latin America raises the prospect of Chinese military presence in the Americas.
“I think their effort to establish access to infrastructure projects for potential military deployments — we should be very concerned with that, and make sure that we have our partners aligned with us as we go forward,” Holsey said.
Because of the canal, Panama is a key hemispheric partner. But the China issue is so sensitive there right now that Panama’s canal minister, José Ramón Icaza Clément, didn’t even mention it in his remarks and wouldn’t take questions about it.
“The U.S. has had lots of concerns about China’s ability to make investments in infrastructure that can be used for both civilian and military purposes — its ability to gain predominant access and control over the Panama Canal," said director of FIU’s Gordon Institute for Public Policy Brian Fonseca.
President Trump has threatened to seize the canal from Panama because of China.
FIU’s hemispheric security conference will conclude Tuesday afternoon.
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