This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Alex Ritson, and in the early hours of Monday the 3rd of February, these are our main stories.

The US Secretary of State has told Panama to reduce what he believes is Chinese influence on the canal or face the consequences, prompting outrage.

President Trump has said any pain brought by the tariffs he's imposed on America's biggest

trade partners will be worth it in the long run.

Also in this podcast.

Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map.

But I believe that working

closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further and for the better.

Israel's Prime Minister, on route to being the first foreign leader to be received by President

Trump since his inauguration.

One of Donald Trump's key campaign pledges was of the United States to take back control of the Panama Canal, which connects the Caribbean to the Pacific.

He claimed that China has too much influence over the waterway.

His top diplomat, Marco Rubio, has been in Panama for talks with the president, Jose Raul Molino.

After the talks, the U.S. Secretary of State said that China's influence threatened the canal

and that immediate changes were needed or the U.S. would act.

The president of Panama says the canal belongs to Panama, but he proposed technical level talks to resolve the

issue.

There is no doubt that the canal is operated by our country and it will continue to be so.

I do not think there's any discrepancy in that. President Trump has his opinion about the

Chinese presence, which will be clarified at the appropriate time

in the technical discussion of the canal.

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