On Monday, the new US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, witnessed the deportation, from Panama, of illegal Colombian migrants attempting to reach the United States.

At a regular press briefing, a ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, said China deeply regretted Panama's decision. "We hope that Panama will make the right decision based on the overall situation of bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples,

China on lashed out at what it called U.S. “coercion” after Panama declined to renew a key infrastructure agreement with Beijing following Washington’s threat to take back the Panama Canal