IV
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION H. RES. 232
Calling on the Government of Panama to expel officials and interests of
the People’s Republic of China and terminate Chinese management of
key Panamanian ports.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH21, 2025
Mr. A
RRINGTON(for himself and Mr. BURCHETT) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
RESOLUTION
Calling on the Government of Panama to expel officials and
interests of the People’s Republic of China and terminate
Chinese management of key Panamanian ports.
Whereas the strategic location of the Panama Canal is vital
to global trade and the security of the Western Hemi-
sphere;
Whereas Panamanians and Americans have invested signifi-
cantly to secure the sovereignty, stability, and prosperity
of Panama, including the construction, defense, and
transfer of the Panama Canal, ensuring it remains a crit-
ical asset for global commerce;
Whereas the construction of the Panama Canal by the United
States required more than a decade of work (1904–
1914), involved tens of thousands of workers, and cost
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•HRES 232 IH
approximately $375,000,000, equivalent to more than
$10,000,000,000 in 2025, with thousands of workers los-
ing their lives due to disease and hazardous conditions;
Whereas the defense and operation of the Panama Canal dur-
ing the 20th century further demonstrated the United
States commitment, at significant financial and human
cost, to maintaining the vital global trade route;
Whereas the Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality
and Operation of the Panama Canal, signed at Wash-
ington September 7, 1977 (commonly referred to as the
‘‘Neutrality Treaty’’), prohibits actions that undermine
the canal’s neutrality or threaten United States security
interests and grants the United States the right to act,
unilaterally if necessary, to defend the canal’s neutrality
and ensure its operational security;
Whereas the Neutrality Treaty obligates Panama and the
United States to act against any threat to the neutrality
or peaceful operation of the Panama Canal, including
undue foreign control over its infrastructure or manage-
ment;
Whereas when President Carter ratified the Neutrality Trea-
ty, President Carter accepted a legally binding condition
to the Treaty, adopted by the United States Senate, es-
tablishing an independent right of the United States to
intervene militarily, consistent with United States con-
stitutional processes, to reopen or restore the operations
of the Panama Canal, as the United States deems nec-
essary, to ensure the canal remains open, neutral, secure,
and accessible;
Whereas the People’s Republic of China, through state-owned
enterprises and Chinese government-affiliated private en-
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•HRES 232 IH
tities, has expanded its influence with key infrastructure
projects and ports around the world, including in Pan-
ama, raising concerns about undue leverage and potential
threats to free and fair navigation and trade;
Whereas the People’s Republic of China Belt and Road Ini-
tiative fosters economic dependence and exerts outsized
geopolitical influence through its investments;
Whereas Panama joined the Belt and Road Initiative in De-
cember 2018;
Whereas the involvement of Chinese government-affiliated en-
terprises in the construction, management, and mainte-
nance of other critical infrastructure, such as a proposed
fourth bridge spanning the Panama Canal, calls into
question the ability of Panama and the United States to
defend the canal’s neutrality and ensure its operational
security;
Whereas two major ports in Panama, the ports of Balboa and
Cristobal, are currently managed by Chinese-affiliated en-
tities, such as Hutchison Ports, a Hong Kong-based op-
erator with significant ties to China’s economic and polit-
ical ecosystem, threatening the sovereignty of Panama
and the security of the Western Hemisphere;
Whereas the involvement of officials from the People’s Re-
public of China and entities that are subject to the Na-
tional Security Law of the People’s Republic of China
and similar laws in Panamanian ports and infrastructure
compromises international security and disrupts critical
trade routes;
Whereas the People’s Republic of China’s control over por-
tions of the infrastructure of the Panama Canal poses a
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direct threat to the national security and strategic inter-
ests of the United States;
Whereas allowing foreign exploitation of Panama’s ports and
infrastructure undermines the sacrifices made to secure
Panama’s independence and the shared values between
Panama and the United States; and
Whereas the United States and Panama have a long history
of partnership and shared commitment to democratic
governance, sovereignty, and the rule of law: Now, there-
fore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1
(1) expresses profound concern about the pres-2
ence and influence of the People’s Republic of China 3
in Panamanian ports and infrastructure, particularly 4
in facilities of strategic significance such as the 5
ports of Balboa and Cristobal; 6
(2) calls upon the Government of Panama to— 7
(A) reaffirm its commitment to the ‘‘per-8
manent neutrality’’ of the Panama Canal as de-9
fined by the Neutrality Treaty by seeking man-10
agement structures that ensure unbiased, equi-11
table access for vessels of all nations; 12
(B) review and terminate agreements al-13
lowing Chinese state-owned enterprises or 14
China-based so-called private entities to manage 15
strategic infrastructure, including the ports of 16
Balboa and Cristobal; 17
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(C) expel all officials from the People’s Re-1
public of China operating within Panamanian 2
ports and other critical infrastructure projects; 3
and 4
(D) reaffirm its commitment to maintain-5
ing the sovereignty of Panama and protecting 6
the security of the Western Hemisphere by 7
seeking partnerships that align with democratic 8
values and mutual respect; 9
(3) urges the Government of the United States 10
to— 11
(A) leverage provisions in the Neutrality 12
Treaty, including Condition (1), to monitor and 13
address threats to the neutrality of the Panama 14
Canal, acting decisively to counter undue for-15
eign influence; 16
(B) provide technical, financial, and stra-17
tegic support to Panama as it seeks to assert 18
sovereignty over its critical infrastructure and 19
reduce its dependence on entities affiliated with 20
the People’s Republic of China; 21
(C) strengthen collaboration with Panama 22
and other allies in the region to promote trans-23
parent and sustainable investments in infra-24
structure projects; 25
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(D) establish a framework to restore oper-1
ational control of the Panama Canal to a col-2
laborative partnership between the United 3
States and Panama, which should honor the 4
spirit of the Neutrality Treaty, respect Pan-5
ama’s sovereignty, and incorporate United 6
States expertise and resources to benefit both 7
nations; 8
(E) offer significant United States invest-9
ments to modernize Panama’s canal infrastruc-10
ture and provide alternatives to Chinese-funded 11
projects; and 12
(F) develop a joint United States-Panama 13
task force to oversee canal security and oper-14
ations, enhancing regional security and ensur-15
ing freedom of navigation; 16
(4) encourages Panama and other regional and 17
global allies to monitor and counter efforts by au-18
thoritarian regimes to exploit economic 19
vulnerabilities to gain strategic leverage in the West-20
ern Hemisphere; and 21
(5) directs that the Secretary of the Senate 22
transmit a copy of this resolution to the President 23
of the United States, the Secretary of State, the 24
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President of Panama, and the National Assembly of 1
Panama. 2
Æ
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