The Digester
politics

Rubio accuses China of bullying over detention of Panama-flagged ships

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said China detained dozens of Panama-flagged ships after Panama seized two canal terminals, citing Tokyo MOU data showing 92 of 124 ships held in March flew the Panama flag; China denies the claim and Panama says inspections are routine.

Apr 2nd 2026 · Panama

Insights

  • Marco Rubio accused China of detaining Panama-flagged vessels and said the United States stands with Panama against retaliatory actions.
  • Tokyo MOU data show 124 ships were inspected in Chinese ports in March and 92 of them flew the Panama flag, with detentions lasting one to ten days.
  • Panama's supreme court ruled in January that a Hong Kong CK Hutchison subsidiary's concession of the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals was unconstitutional, after which Panama seized control of the terminals.
  • China denied the allegations and said US accusations reveal an attempt to take control of the canal.
  • The US Federal Maritime Commission is tracking the detentions and called the actions disruptive, while Panama says inspections are routine and APM Terminals will temporarily administer the terminals.

Sources