House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has opened an investigation into the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Panama, with a focus on the operations of the Panama Canal. In a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Comer requested a staff-level briefing on how the department plans to address potential CCP interference and maintain security at the canal.
Comer wrote, “The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is examining the Chinese Communist Party’s interference and influence in Panama. Given the Panama Canal’s strategic importance to the United States, any potential malign influence or outright interference in Panama by the CCP is cause for significant concern. Therefore, the Committee asks the Department of Transportation to provide a staff-level briefing to address how it plans to counter Chinese influence in Panama and ensure the security and neutrality of the canal is maintained. The Panama Canal hosts approximately 40 percent of the United States container traffic, which accounts for roughly $240 billion annually in trade.”
He also noted that both ports on either side of the canal are operated by Hutchison, a Hong Kong-based shipping company. According to Comer, “Panama maintains a policy of neutrality regarding the canal, a result of the treaty signed that turned ownership from the United States to Panama. On the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the canal sit two ports, both owned and operated by Hutchison—a Hong Kong shipping corporation. Hutchison ports have repeatedly been implicated in the smuggling of fentanyl precursors into the Americas, and its owner, Li Ka-Shing, is a member of Chinese organized crime syndicates that work to advance the interests of the CCP in the west. In March of 2025 Hutchison announced it would sell its 90 percent share in Panamanian ports. Following the announcement, the CCP expressed fury at the sale, and while initially stating they would block it, China has now instead resorted to watching the sale closely to ensure that company operating these ports is not American. While Panama has expressed interest in expelling CCP influence from country evidenced by their termination of belt-and-road initiative in Panama, situation is still tenuous and requires oversight,” concluded Chairman Comer.
James Comer currently serves as U.S. Representative for Kentucky’s 1st district after replacing Ed Whitfield in 2016. He previously served as a member of Kentucky’s House of Representatives from 2001 until 2012 and graduated from Western Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree.
