GOP strategist and CNN political commentator David Urban pushed back against former Democratic New York Rep. Max Rose on Monday after Rose speculated President-elect Donald Trump had been targeting the Panama Canal due to an alleged inside promise.
Trump, on Saturday night, posted to Truth Social, warning Panama that the United States would demand the canal back if it didn’t end its “ridiculous” fees, “knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S.” On “Erin Burnett OutFront,” Rose told the panel he believed the former president was threatening the country because “someone wrote him a check or someone had a pivotal meeting with him and made a promise for a future check if he acted on this issue.”
However, Urban responded to the former lawmaker by explaining the Panama Canal’s connection to China and how China has influence over the area.
“He’s so jaded! Listen to the jaded bitter guy from Staten Island there. I used to like him until a couple minutes ago,” Urban said. “Listen, Kate, it’s important. Here’s why it’s important. There is a major player in the Panama Canal that’s not Panama, it’s China, right? So the Chinese control the two biggest ports at either end of the canal.”
“In 2017, the Panamanians rejected the notion that they rejected Taiwan as a country. They sided with China. They recognized China.They signed the Belt and Road Initiative with the Chinese in 2018, expanding their sphere of influence in an area which 70% of all traffic is U.S. traffic going through from one port to another through the Panama Canal,” Urban added.
Urban went on to call out how it could be possible for the U.S. to take the canal back and how the U.S. military could be used in the process. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Trump’s Incoming Border Czar Sees A Huge Problem With Biden’s Latest Deportation Numbers)
“The treaty which was signed leaves an out for the United States that says if the neutrality of the canal is threatened, we can take it back,” Urban said. “You know how we do it? With the U.S. military. I don’t know if anybody remembers Operation Just Cause, but we sent the U.S. military down there to kick some ass and oust the president and put a new president in. We did it within about like 24 hours. So we could do it. If I was the Panamanians, I wouldn’t cozy up to the Chinese too much. If I was the Chinese, I wouldn’t get too cute.”
CNN guest host Kate Bolduan continued to ask the GOP strategist if he took Trump’s threats against Panama seriously. Urban responded by calling out how the Panamanians should treat their relationship with China with caution.
“This is U.S. national security. U.S. national security is at interest here. There’s a neutrality provision that was put in that treaty for a reason. If that neutrality is threatened by the Chinese, their Belt Road Initiative continues to expand and threatens the U.S. in terms of whether it’s allowing passage of U.S. military ships or hindering trade,” Urban said. “That was obviously put in there for a reason. We can exercise that clause.”
Since the 1990s, reports have indicated that China has slowly increased its presence within the Panama Canal by winning contracts in order to establish container ports and positioning themselves at either end of the canal, according to the Heritage Foundation. In July 2018 China Communications Construction Co Ltd and China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd helped build a fourth bridge over the canal after winning a $1.42 billion contract, Reuters reported.
Trump’s callout of Panama comes after he said that the United States could take on Canada and absorb it as the 51st state. This, following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying that the country isn’t able to handle a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods.
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