PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledges U.S.-Central America teamwork to counter Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence, secure the Panama Canal, and tackle shared threats like cartels and illegal immigration.
👥 Who’s Involved: Pete Hegseth, Central American leaders at CENTSEC, President Donald J. Trump, Panama’s government, and the CCP.
📍 Where & When: Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC), Panama, April 9, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “We do not seek war with China, and war with China is certainly not inevitable. We do not seek it in any form. But together, we must prevent war by robustly and vigorously deterring China’s threats in this hemisphere.” — Pete Hegseth.
⚠️ Impact: The U.S. will ramp up its military and diplomatic push to reclaim Panama Canal influence, deploying the USNS Comfort and reviving the Cold War-era Jungle School, signaling a bold stand against China’s regional encroachments.
IN FULL:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told the Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC) in Panama that the U.S. will work together with Central America to beat back the growing influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the region and address “shared threats.”
After first noting the Trump administration’s collaboration with Central American governments on combatting cartels and illegal immigration, Hegseth said, “[W]e have to recognize the threat that China poses to our countries, to our people, and to peace in this region.”
“China-based companies are capturing land [and] critical infrastructure in strategic sectors such as energy and telecommunications,” he continued, warning that “China’s military has too large of a presence in the Western Hemisphere.”
“They operate military facilities and ground stations to extend their reach into space. They exploit natural resources and land to fuel China’s global military ambitions. China’s factory fishing fleets are stealing food from our nations and from our people,” he observed, adding, “Make no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage and unfair economic gain.”
“We do not seek war with China, and war with China is certainly not inevitable. We do not seek it in any form. But together, we must prevent war by robustly and vigorously deterring China’s threats in this hemisphere,” he stressed.
In particular, he emphasized President Donald J. Trump’s determination that the Panama Canal, formerly controlled by the U.S., and its adjacent areas “cannot and will not be controlled by China.” He said the Trump administration is now “working closely with our partners in Panama to secure the canal and advance our mutual security interests” and that the American and Panamanian governments “together are taking it back from Chinese influence.”
Beyond Panama, Hegseth vowed the Trump administration would “work with every country here in this room to address our shared threats” and was “directing the United States Naval Ship Comfort,” a hospital ship, to deploy to Panama and the wider region later in 2025, alongside an expansion of military training, exchanges, and joint exercises.
The National Pulse previously reported that this will include reestablishing the famous Jungle School in Panama, which closed in 1999.
“We’re going to increase cooperation to deter threats, to seek opportunities to bolster our shared defense. That’s what CENTSEC, Panama 2025, is all about. Friends standing shoulder to shoulder with friends,” Hegseth said.
The National Pulse Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam has been on the ground with Hegseth in Panama, covering the landmark trip in person.
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