Beijing’s efforts to expand its reach in the country have hit several obstacles, in part because of American pressure.

President-elect Donald J. Trump’s threat to take back the Panama Canal may be posturing, but it could dampen the Panamanian government’s wish to broaden relations with the United States, analysts say.

Recovering the Panama Canal, on the other hand, involves stepping into the hornet’s nest of Latin America’s nationalistic politics that are increasingly influenced by China, Russia, and Iran. Successive Democrat administrations have allowed America’s main adversaries to develop a growing intelligence,

Over decades, a shift in US military strategy, larger carriers and the growth of commerce on the West Coast deemphasized US involvement.

President-elect Trump is right to support the Monroe Doctrine. But to keep Xi Jinping out of America's backyard, the next administration should get tough on China, not Panama.

Such proposals are legally impossible and operationally unnecessary. Examining the reality of this vital artery of global trade makes this very clear.

Trump's claim that Chinese soldiers exercise authority over the Panama Canal is inaccurate, but his assertion that China manipulates the use of the passage is a long-held U.S. concern.

The U.S. has long invested heavily in Latin America and the Carribean, but China is South America’s biggest trading partner and benefactor. As part of its Belt and Road initiative, it is increasingly flexing its muscle with grants and loans across the continent. China in November unveiled a megaport in Peru.

Chinese companies operate ports on both ends of the Panama Canal and invest in mining in Greenland. Read more at straitstimes.com.

I echo the two recent letters to the editor about drag racing in South Sarasota (“Sarasota streets have become drag-racing strips,” Jan. 8) We live near McIntosh Road and Tamiami Trail in Osprey and face the drag racing as well as exhaust pipes popping as the vehicles accelerate.

Donald Trump has appointed Sen. Marco Rubio as his next Secretary of State, and is seeking to reposition the U.S. in Latin America to prevent China’s aggressive commercial advance, while