US Southern Command Chief Admiral Alvin Holsey is set to visit Panama this week for high-level discussion of security cooperation, immigration, and strategic Panama Canal, the US embassy stated on Wednesday.
During the stay in Panama on Wednesday and Thursday for a visit that is two days, Holsey will meet with Panamanian officials as tensions between the Trump administration and China’s control over the canal grow, a key international trade channel.
The visit restates Washington’s sustained efforts to promote security cooperation in Latin America, particularly as Beijing’s strategic and economic presence in the region continues to expand. The Panama Canal, one of the busiest maritime commercial waterways, remains a priority in US-Panama relations.
Holsey’s meetings are meant to consolidate defense cooperation and the issue of migration in the region, which affects both countries. The visit puts emphasis on US strategic interest in its ability to command this key strait.
