Panama President Mulino says foreign minister to reject talk of Chinese influence in meeting with U.S. military official

PANAMA CITY, (Reuters) – Panama President Jose Raul Mulino said on Thursday he has instructed the country’s foreign minister to reject talk of Chinese influence over the Panama Canal in a meeting with the head of the U.S. Southern Command.

Admiral Alvin Holsey, the head of the U.S. military’s Southern Command, is scheduled to meet on Thursday with Panamanian officials.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has argued that China holds undue influence over Panama’s namesake canal, one of the world’s busiest maritime trade passages.

(Reporting by Elida Moreno)