The Panama Canal, He Added, Had Become a Strategic Trade Route for China

Tacim Emek, a columnist in the Turkish media, argued that the United States knows it cannot economically and technologically block China — and in fact has already failed to do so. Writing in a piece featured in Diken's daily roundup of Turkish press commentary, Emek said Washington is instead focusing on ensuring that a significant portion of the energy resources and raw materials China will need remains under its own control. To that end, the US has launched military, political, and economic interventions in the Middle East, Latin America, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Africa — regions holding major energy resources — in an effort to create new axes favorable to itself, according to Emek.

Emek noted that China has quietly made serious inroads in these regions, which have traditionally been US spheres of influence, for more than 30 years. He cited examples such as China meeting nearly 60 percent of its copper needs from Chile, Peru, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela, and importing and operating a significant portion of Venezuelan oil. The Panama Canal, he added, had become a strategic trade route for China.