President-elect Donald Trump over the weekend suggested the US should retake the Panama Canal, an idea that was immediately rejected by the government of Panama, which has controlled the passage for decades.

Teddy Roosevelt once declared the Panama Canal “one of the feats to which the people of this republic will look back with the highest pride.” More than a century later, Donald Trump is threatening to take back the waterway for the same republic.

US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to demand control of the Panama Canal be returned to Washington, complaining of "unfair" treatment of American ships and hinting at China's growing influence.