China is getting too close to the Panama Canal, and it’s making America worried. A smart guy named Gordon Chang says China is trying to control this important waterway. The Panama Canal is like a big shortcut for ships to go between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It’s super important for moving stuff around the world.
Mr. Chang thinks China is up to no good. He says they’re trying to take over the canal without actually running it themselves. How? By buying up land and businesses near the canal. This gives China a lot of power over what happens there.
The United States isn’t happy about this. We use the canal a lot to move our ships and goods. If China can mess with that, it could hurt our country. Mr. Chang warns that China might even be able to stop ships from using the canal if they wanted to.
This isn’t just about the canal, though. China is making friends all over Latin America. They’re giving money to countries and building stuff there. This makes those countries like China more and listen to America less.
Some people in the U.S. government are trying to stop China from getting too powerful in the area. A man named Marco Rubio went to Panama to talk about this problem. He wants Panama to be careful about letting China have so much influence.
Mr. Chang thinks this is all part of China’s big plan to become more powerful than America. He says we need to wake up and do something about it before it’s too late.
This is scary stuff for America. The Panama Canal has always been really important to us. Now, China might be able to use it against us. We need to keep a close eye on what’s happening there and make sure China doesn’t get too much control.
