Secretary of State Marco Rubio says President Donald Trump's desire to acquire Greenland and retake control of the Panama Canal is driven by legitimate national security interests stemming from growing concerns about Chinese activity and influence in the Arctic and in Latin America.

US senators heard sharply different analyses about Chinese influence over the Panama Canal on Wednesday, with some experts suggesting solutions ranging from enhanced trade partnerships to military intervention to regain control of the strategic waterway.

This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land,” Rubio. “This is in our national interest and it needs to be solved.”

A key focus of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Central America this week — his first trip as America’s top diplomat — will be to counter China’s growing influence in the region, the State Department’s top spokesperson said this week,

"Our job—where we can'is to provide Latin America with a choice," a U.K. government minister said on Thursday.

Amid Trump’s bid to acquire Greenland, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) also stressed the need to properly compete with China and “send them back to their own hemisphere.” He added that Trump publicly expressing interest in Greenland is “broadcasting” that “America is great again.”

Panama has owned and administered the Panama Canal for nearly three decades. President Trump wants to change that to counter growing Chinese influence in Latin America.

The accusation takes place during the same week that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit the country in his first international trip since assuming the role

Trump has called for the U.S. to take back control of the Panama Canal, warning of heavy Chinese activity in the region.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, discussed a scenario in which China could disrupt U.S. trade by blocking off the canal.