New US Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to make his first foreign visit to Latin America next week, specifically to Panama.. Bloomberg reports this, citing a source, on Thursday, January 23.. The visit should highlight the seriousness of President Donald Trump's intentions to return the Panama Canal to US control.. The US Secretary of State also plans to visit Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica. The trip will be Rubio's first overseas since he was sworn in as America's top diplomat on January 21.. Typically, a US State Department chief's first trip is to a geopolitically important ally: Rubio's predecessors Antony Blinken and Rex Tillerson traveled to Japan and Germany, respectively.. Recall that in December 2024, Trump threatened Panama to take away the Panama Canal if the country did not stop charging what he considered to be excessive fees.. Amid Trump's threats, Panama has launched an audit of a Chinese-linked company that controls two ports adjacent to the Panama Canal.. News on Telegram and WhatsApp. Subscribe to our channels https://t. me/korrespondentnet and WhatsApp Author: 1.