Chuck Holton
Politics • Culture • News
Chuck Holton is an American war correspondent, published author, and motivational speaker.
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Why Donald Trump Cares About the Panama Canal Now

The Panama Canal, a key link in global trade, has been a point of strategic importance for over a century. Built by the United States and controlled by it until 1999, the canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, reducing shipping times and costs. Today, the canal remains critical to global commerce, but former President Donald Trump has expressed concerns about a new threat: China’s influence over the ports that bookend this vital waterway.

A Brief History of the Canal

The Panama Canal was constructed by the U.S. between 1904 and 1914, at a cost of $375 million (equivalent to over $8 billion today). While the canal was profitable, the direct financial returns never fully recovered the investment. Its strategic value, however, was immense, allowing the U.S. military and commercial ships to move quickly between oceans.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which transferred control of the canal to Panama by 1999. This handover fulfilled a promise to respect Panamanian sovereignty, and since then, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has successfully managed the canal, generating billions in revenue for Panama’s economy.

The Ports and Hutchison’s Role

While Panama manages the canal, the Ports of Balboa (Pacific side) and Cristóbal (Atlantic side), which handle much of the canal’s shipping traffic, are operated by Hutchison Ports PPC. Hutchison is a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings, a Hong Kong-based company originally founded in the 19th century as a British trading firm. In the 1970s, the company was acquired by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing, who expanded its global operations.

Today, Hutchison Ports operates 53 ports in 24 countries, making it one of the largest port operators in the world. While it began as a British company, its modern headquarters in Hong Kong and the increasing influence of the Chinese government over Hong Kong raise concerns about Beijing’s potential control over strategic infrastructure like Panama’s ports.

Why China’s Involvement Matters

Since the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China, Beijing has steadily increased its influence over the region, especially after implementing the National Security Law in 2020. This has led to fears that companies like Hutchison Ports, while nominally independent, could be pressured by the Chinese government to serve its geopolitical interests.

Ports are not just logistical hubs; they are critical for managing global trade. Controlling port operations near the Panama Canal could give China the ability to monitor or disrupt shipping in the event of a geopolitical conflict. While there’s no evidence that this has happened, the potential risk alarms policymakers in Washington.

Trump’s Concerns About Panama

Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the issue of China’s growing influence near the Panama Canal, even suggesting that the U.S. might need to “take back” the canal. His concerns stem from the canal’s importance as a chokepoint for global trade and the fear that China’s presence could undermine U.S. security and economic interests.

While such rhetoric appeals to those wary of China, the reality is more complicated. Reclaiming the canal would violate the Torrijos-Carter Treaties and damage U.S.-Panama relations. Moreover, Panama has operated the canal efficiently and fairly since taking control, maintaining its neutrality and accessibility to all nations.

Panama’s Position in the Geopolitical Struggle

It’s important to note that Panama is not to blame for the current situation. The country awarded the port concessions to Hutchison in 1997, before China’s influence over Hong Kong became a major concern. Since then, Panama has modernized and expanded the canal, even completing a $5.25 billion expansion project in 2016 to accommodate larger ships. The canal now generates billions annually and contributes significantly to Panama’s economy.

Panama continues to manage the canal responsibly, adhering to its commitments under the Neutrality Treaty, which ensures the waterway remains open to all nations. However, its reliance on foreign operators like Hutchison for port management leaves it caught in the middle of the U.S.-China rivalry.

The Broader Implications for Global Trade

Trump’s concerns highlight the broader issue of China’s global ambitions. Through its Belt and Road Initiative, China has invested in ports and infrastructure worldwide, increasing its influence over key trade routes. While Panama’s ports are just one piece of this puzzle, their proximity to the canal magnifies their strategic importance.

The challenge for the U.S. is to counter China’s influence without undermining Panama’s sovereignty or the canal’s neutrality. Strengthening diplomatic ties with Panama and offering economic incentives to diversify its partnerships may be a more effective approach than escalating tensions.

Conclusion: A Canal in the Crosshairs

The Panama Canal remains a vital link in global trade, and its surrounding infrastructure has become a focal point in the growing rivalry between the U.S. and China. While Donald Trump’s concerns about Chinese influence are not unfounded, addressing them requires a careful balance of diplomacy, economic engagement, and respect for Panama’s sovereignty. In this new era of geopolitics, securing the future of the canal will depend on collaboration, not confrontation.

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Benjamin Netanyahu Explains the Israeli Economy

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Video of Kirk’s Killer

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He jumped off the rooftop, moved quickly through the parking lot, and then began walking casually to blend in before entering a wooded area.

He was wearing converse tennis shoes, a shirt with an eagle, and a baseball cap with a triangle.

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Houthi Drone Strikes Israel - Two Wounded

Three Houthi drones were fired at Israel on Sunday. Two were shot down and the third struck the airport in Eilat, Wounding to his Israelis and causing the airspace to be shut down.

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Episode 622 - Field Producer Dennis Azato and Chuck Reminisce

My erstwhile field producer and cameraman Dennis Azato has accompanied me on ten years of adventures across the globe. Today he joins me in Ukraine and we spend some time remembering our many trips together.

Episode 622 - Field Producer Dennis Azato and Chuck Reminisce
What I Uncovered In the Mountains Of Guatemala

As I mentioned on the live yesterday, here’s the full episode from our trip to the nearly abandoned village in the mountains of Guatemala. This one is eye-opening. Watch now and see how mass migration is transforming rural communities and what it means for the crisis at our own border.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

My friends, Don and Elaine Schiffer, who live Just a few short miles away from where the eye came ashore yesterday, As denoted by the red arrow in this picture, have reported in and are safe. However, who knows when supplies will be delivered to them. Every road is impassable or washed out. Thank you all for continuing in prayer.

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"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and tumult and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

We need God's grace every day to be more thick-skinned and tender-hearted. In my natural self, I'm quick-tempered, defensive and prideful; among other shameful things. But praise be to God, that in Jesus, we are all able to love sincerely, and walk in grace and truth, through the power of His might. For we have everything we need spiritually, as new creatures, but we have to utilize His provision through faith and obedience.

"Put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth." (Ephesians 4:24)

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A Place of Hope
How Mercy Projects is Changing Lives in Armenia

Out here in the rugged hills of Armenia, there’s a place where faith meets hard work — and lives are being changed because of it. This is the Mercy Projects Rancho California, a patch of land that’s turning hope into something you can see, touch, and feel. What started as a simple vision has grown into a thriving outreach where faith and farming come together. The team here isn’t just raising animals and crops; they’re raising up the next generation of leaders for Armenia. You’ll meet the men and women who’ve worked hard to build a safe haven for this part of the world, building a community that reflects God’s love in real, practical ways. It’s gritty. It’s beautiful. And it’s proof that when people of faith step out and serve, incredible things can happen. Come along with me as we visit the Mercy Projects Ranch — a place where hope grows deep roots in the Armenian soil. Learn more or support the work: https://www.mercyprojects.org/

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The Welfare Machine Draining America

“If a system pays people not to work, don’t be shocked when it produces more people who don’t work.”

 

 

The Real Cost of “Free”

Let’s do the math.

The U.S. spends trillions of dollars every year on welfare and entitlement programs—federal, state, and local combined. When you divide that by the number of taxpayers, you’re effectively paying about $3,500 a month to fund these systems.

That’s your money. Every month. Whether you like it or not.

And if only 1% of that is wasted through fraud—and I assure you it’s much more—that’s a billion dollars a month going straight into the ether.

The Government Accountability Office estimates 11% of welfare spending is lost to fraud, waste, and abuse. Eleven percent. That’s not a rounding error; that’s a hemorrhage.

“Fraud isn’t a bug in the system—it’s the business model for people who know how to game it.”

 

What I Found on the Ground

This isn’t theory for me. I’ve been to the villages in Guatemala and seen what happens when America subsidizes dependency.

One mountain town I visited looked like a ghost village. The mayor told me it used to hold around 2,000 residents, but now maybe 200 remain—mostly women and children. Almost all the men had gone to the United States.

And they’re not just sending postcards home. They’re sending money.

Those “remittances” are being used to build 3,000-square-foot mansions in a town where people once lived in bamboo huts with dirt floors. American tax dollars—channeled through welfare checks and under-the-table cash work—are being wired home and turned into marble staircases and brass fixtures.

Across Latin America, that story repeats. Over $200 billion a year leaves the U.S. in remittances. Not all of it is ill-gotten, but enough is that it’s propping up entire foreign economies—Mexico, India, even China—with money that originated from your tax bill.

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Ending Welfare Might Be the Most Loving Thing the Government Could Do
When compassion becomes control, dependency becomes slavery — and freedom begins with responsibility.

When God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26), He was establishing something radical: every human life has intrinsic worth, purpose, and responsibility. We’re not accidents of evolution — we’re image-bearers of God.

That’s why Christians defend life from conception to natural death. But the Imago Dei doesn’t just speak to abortion or euthanasia. It also speaks to the way we treat human dignity in everyday life — including how we deal with poverty, work, and welfare.


The Cruelty of “Compassion”

For decades, the U.S. government has built an entire industry around dependency. SNAP, EBT, and countless welfare programs were supposed to be safety nets, not hammocks. But when “temporary help” becomes a permanent lifestyle, it robs people of the very thing that makes them human: agency.

Work was never a punishment — it was God’s design. Adam wasn’t lounging in Eden collecting fruit stamps. He was tending a garden, naming animals, exercising dominion. Work is how human beings imitate their Creator.

That’s why Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” Not as a threat, but as a correction. A culture that subsidizes idleness is not compassionate — it’s complicit in spiritual decay.


Mercy Isn’t Maintenance

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