Donald Trump has begun his second term as president by ramping up pressure on Panama – threatening to “take back” the Panama Canal and accusing the country of ceding control of the strategically critical waterway to a US rival: China.

In response to pressure from the Trump administration, Panama has withdrawn from China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Eric Olander, co-founder of the China-Global South Project, says the U.S. president will likely feel emboldened to seek similar leverage from the more than 100 other countries that are still part of Beijing's infrastructure project.

By Frankie Mills Panama has strongly rejected US claims about securing free passage for government vessels through the Panama Canal, whilst announcing its withdrawal from China's Belt and Road Initiative amidst growing US pressure over alleged Chinese influence in the region.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for the first time on Friday as two allies wary of China's rise work to boost business and security ties while an escalating trade war threatens to rupture the global economy.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba didn’t skimp on the legwork as he prepared for his meeting with President Donald Trump

Another sensitive issue Ishiba was expected to address in the leaders’ private talkswas Japan’s Nippon Steel’s efforts to win approval for a $14.1 billion acquisition of the