China issues response after Hegseth calls it a threat to Panama Canal

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at Port of Rodman in West Panama (Matias Delacroix/AP)

China has issued a fiery response after US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said it poses an ongoing threat to the Panama Canal.

Speaking at a ribbon cutting for a new US-financed dock at the Vasco Nunez de Balboa Naval Base after a meeting with Panama President Jose Raul Mulino, Mr Hegseth said the US will not allow China or any other country to threaten the canal’s operation.