Senior US military leader visits Panama to discuss security, canal

A senior U.S. military commander who oversees operations over much of Latin America will visit Panama this week to discuss security cooperation as well as the Panama Canal and migration, the U.S. embassy in the Central American nation said on Wednesday.

Admiral Alvin Holsey, the head of the U.S. military's Southern Command, is scheduled to meet on Wednesday and Thursday with Panamanian officials as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has argued that China holds undue influence over the country's namesake canal, one of the world's busiest maritime trade passages.