Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarks soon on his inaugural trip as the United States’ top diplomat. His first stop, Panama could prove to be the most contentious on the itinerary.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the Panama Canal, and he hopes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s upcoming visit will allow them to focus on shared interests including migration and combating drug trafficking.

President Trump is reportedly dispatching his newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Panama for his first foreign trip. Here's what's at stake.

A House GOP leadership memo obtained by Fox News Digital appears to encourage Republican lawmakers to back President Donald Trump's push to purchase the Panama Canal.

Newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing to "take back" the Panama Canal, the world's second busiest interoceanic waterway.

This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land,” Rubio. “This is in our national interest and it needs to be solved.”

Panama has owned and administered the Panama Canal for nearly three decades. President Trump wants to change that to counter growing Chinese influence in Latin America.

US senators heard sharply different analyses about Chinese influence over the Panama Canal on Wednesday, with some experts suggesting solutions ranging from enhanced trade partnerships to military intervention to regain control of the strategic waterway.

Donald Trump’s belligerence toward Latin American leaders raises the prospect of a more concerted regional resistance, one its popular left bloc is well positioned to lead.

The aggressive rhetoric of US President Donald Trump has shocked Panamanians, who see the waterway as a source of enormous national pride. View on euronews

Felipe Chapman and Foreign Affairs Minister Javier Martínez-Acha discussed Trump’s claim over the canal at the International Economic Forum Latin America and the Caribbean