Part 2/7:
The Panama Canal is a crucial link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Over the past decades, however, Chinese interests have significantly entangled themselves in Panama, raising questions about the potential for military and economic leverage. According to Gordon Chang, a senior fellow and expert on China, this is an issue that should concern not just the U.S. government but the entire country. The risk lies not merely in the physical control of the canal but the widened influence that China has through investments and port leases across Latin America.