Rubio said he could not predict if Trump would succeed in buying Greenland from Denmark or restoring American authority over the Panama Canal while he is in office.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday he had "zero doubt" that China has a contingency plan to shut down the Panama Canal in the event of a conflict with the U.S. and that Washington intends to address what it sees as a national security threat.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino has a message for Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of his impending diplomatic visit: The Panama Canal is not up for discussion. “It’s impossible,” Munilo said in Spanish at a press conference in Panama City on Thursday.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed zero doubt that China has a contingency plan to shut down the Panama Canal in a potential conflict with the U.S. Speaking on The Megyn Kelly Show, Rubio emphasized

Rubio defended Trump's proposed territorial expansions as a 'national interest,' while Denmark and Greenland firmly rejected offers amid concerns over potential military action.

The new Secretary of State already has said the Hong Kong-based operator of Panama Canal-adjacent ports could be a “big national security and defense problem.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio states Trump's interest in Greenland and the Panama Canal is driven by national security concerns regarding China.

A key focus of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Central America this week — his first trip as America’s top diplomat — will be to counter China’s growing influence in the region, the State Department’s top spokesperson said this week,

This is not a joke,” Rubio said “The Megyn Kelly Show" on SiriusXM. "This is in our national interest and it needs to be solved.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserts that President Trump's interest in acquiring Greenland and reasserting control over the Panama Canal stems from legitimate national security threats posed by China's growing influence in these strategic areas.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Thursday that President Trump’s interest in taking control of Greenland and the Panama Canal “is not a joke” and vital to US national security interests. “This is not a joke,