President-elect Donald J. Trump’s threat to take back the Panama Canal may be posturing, but it could dampen the Panamanian government’s wish to broaden relations with the United States, analysts say.

The Panama Canal Authority leader denied that China controls the waterway, warning President-elect Trump against ending the Neutrality Treaty.

Such proposals are legally impossible and operationally unnecessary. Examining the reality of this vital artery of global trade makes this very clear.

The Panama Canal chief, Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, said giving preferential treatment to one country's ships would "lead to chaos."

The canal executive said China doesn’t control route and U.S. ships can’t get better rates than others.

The new Panamanian ambassador was given strict instructions as he prepared to meet then-President Donald Trump one day in 2019: Do not engage him in any substantive discussion of critical issues.

Such proposals are legally impossible and operationally unnecessary. Examining the reality of this vital artery of global trade makes this very clear.

Analysts believe takeover comments could be aimed at getting lower fees, but they could also push Panama to embrace China

Recovering the Panama Canal, on the other hand, involves stepping into the hornet’s nest of Latin America’s nationalistic politics that are increasingly influenced by China, Russia, and Iran. Successive Democrat administrations have allowed America’s main adversaries to develop a growing intelligence,

The US is the biggest user of the Canal, but influence on its operations is dispersed among contracts with bidders internationally.

Beijing’s efforts to expand its reach in the country have hit several obstacles, in part because of American pressure.