US defense chief to visit Panama next week: Pentagon

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will visit Panama next week, the Pentagon said Friday, after President Donald Trump exerted significant pressure on the country to curb ties with Chinese interests.

Hegseth will participate in the Central American Security Conference and will "meet with partner-nation senior civilian, military, and security leadership in a series of bilateral meetings," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

The talks will "drive ongoing efforts to strengthen our partnerships with Panama and other Central American nations toward our shared vision for a peaceful and secure Western Hemisphere," he said.

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Tensions between the United States and Panama spiraled this year over Trump's repeated threats to "take back" the Panama Canal, including by force if necessary.

Panama has made several concessions to Trump, including putting pressure on a Hong Kong company that operated ports on the Panama Canal to pull out.

The last US soldier left Panama on December 31, 1999 -- the day the United States, which built the Panama Canal, relinquished control of the crucial shipping route.