China Detains Panama-Flagged Ships, Rubio Slams 'Bullying'

0:00US Secretary of State Marco Rubio just called out China for bullying tactics, saying they detained dozens of Panama flag ships right after Panama. Took back control of two key ports on the Panama Canal from a Hong Kong company subsidiary. In March alone, 92 out of 124 ships held for inspection in Chinese ports flew the Panama flag that's nearly 75 percent up big time from about 40 percent in February and 30 percent in January. This got released after just one to 10 days. Rubio slammed it as destabilizing global trade and eroding trust while the US Federal Maritime Commission chair said they've never seen inspections, used punitively like this before. China fired back, calling US claims employed to grab the canal, but skipped commenting on the detention spike. This all stems from Panama's Supreme Court ruling in January that the port deal was unconstitutional, with a Danish firm now stepping in temporarily.

1:00Panama's foreign minister seized the hold as routine and wants to keep things cool with China. Meanwhile, experts warned this could hit Panama hard since their ship registry brings in about $100 million a year and lets owners sail. Worldwide without hassle, if China keeps flexing, folks might ditch the flag altogether, shaking up maritime business for good. From your city, powered by AI, this is Canada News Today. I'm Corey with the story.