US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has demanded that Panama make "immediate changes" to what he calls the "influence and control" of China over the Panama Canal. America's top diplomat said Panama must act or the US would take necessary measures to protect its rights under a treaty between the two countries.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Panama officials that Chinese influence over the Panama Canal must be curbed or the U.S. will take retaliatory actions, the State Department said Sunday. Why it matters: Rubio's warning to Panama President José Raúl Mulino and Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha is another pressure point on the country since President Trump said he intended to regain control of the Panama Canal.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino in talks on Sunday that President Donald Trump has determined China's influence threatens the Panama Canal and that immediate changes were needed or the U.