Secretary of State Marco Rubio is headed to Panama as part of his first international trip in his new role. President Trump made it clear he wants the U.S. to control the heavily used Panama Canal, a move the Panamanian government strongly opposes.

China's presence around the Panama Canal is a national security concern that Panama's government has to deal with, U.S. Special Envoy for Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone said on Friday, ahead of U.

Jose Raul Mulino said he won't discuss control of the canal during the secretary of state's visit. Rubio, in contrast, said "we're going to address that topic."