Will President Trump take the Panama canal back by force? ##scruftuff # Panama canal.

Rubio met the canal's administrator, Ricaurte Vásquez Morales alongside Mulino on Sunday. America's top diplomat demanded that Panama make "immediate changes" to China's "influence and control" over the waterway.

This echoed Trump's inaugural address, where he stated that the canal was being operated by China and he wanted to "take it back."

Mulino has denied these allegations and rejected the plan, saying that the trade route "is and will remain" in Panama's hands.

The US built the canal in the early 20th Century but, after years of protest, President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty with Panama in 1977 to gradually hand back control of the waterway. Trump has called this "a big mistake" since returning to office.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been on a tour of Central America to discuss migration and drug trafficking in the region.