US President Donald Trump has once again put the Panama Canal at the centre of the US-China rivalry, declaring that the United States will not allow China to take over the strategic waterway. Speaking at the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Trump criticised the historic decision to transfer control of the canal to Panama, arguing that the United States should never have given it up. He also claimed that Panama sharply increased transit fees after taking control and accused China of seeking greater influence over the canal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing during his first foreign visit of 2026, as both leaders pushed for deeper strategic cooperation and a “multipolar world order.” The closely watched summit came just days after Donald Trump’s visit to China. Xi described the current international environment as “complex and volatile” and appeared to take a swipe at US “unilateral hegemony.” Putin and Xi held closed-door talks before broader delegation-level meetings.