Trump and his team are right to recognize Panama’s strategic importance, but they are wrong in how they are approaching the issue. During his inaugural address in January, President Trump proclaimed that “China is operating the Panama Canal” and promised that the United States would be “taking it back.

The president of Panama is a brave man. José Raúl Mulino has continued to defy the White House with open contempt even after watching the punishment beating of Ukraine.

The U.S. president touched on the region when speaking about tariffs, criminal organizations, migration, and federal cuts.

This is hardly new. Panama was the first country in Latin America to adopt the US dollar, in 1904, shortly after independence from Colombia. Almost a century later, Ecuador and El Salvador followed suit, with Ecuador switching in 2000 and El Salvador in 2001. But are they taking the proper steps to control their economies?

China has displaced the US as the top trading partner in most of Latin America’s 33 nations. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Mexico is reviewing its tariff policy over China, and an American investor group has signed a huge deal taking control over key ports near the Panama Canal, indicating that Trump's America First foreign policy is yielding concrete results in a short time.

More than 100 people deported by the United States have been held in a remote camp for weeks. Their release could pose a challenge to President Trump’s deportation efforts.

COMMENTARY If Mexican and Latin American leaders are stunned by President Trump's thug behavior, maybe it's because they never imagined the U.S. would elect a guy who looks like so many of them.

Latin American criminal groups are increasingly using drones to confront security forces, transport illicit goods, and intimidate communities.

The increasing competition between world powers to secure the future of their manufacturing and technology supply chains is turning Latin America’s unique pool of critical minerals and rare-earth elements into a critical new battleground.

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to the region and warned of Chinese encroachment. Several Latin American countries expanded trade and investment relations with China.