Panama City, Panama - US and Panamanian forces on Monday will begin joint training aimed at protecting the strategic shipping route of the Central American country's canal, officials said.

On January 2, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino declared an end to tensions with the US after Donald Trump threatened in 2025 to reclaim the canal, alleging it was being controlled by China.

About 50 Navy personnel and 61 Panamanian air, navy, and police units will join in the exercises at air and naval bases in Panama, its Security Ministry said in a statement, following three similar drills in 2025.

The joint program aims to improve forces' "capacity to respond in operational scenarios" for the canal's protection, the statement said.

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An agreement, signed in April by top security officials from Panama and the US, allows American military personnel to deploy to Panama-controlled facilities for training, exercises, and "other activities." The deal stopped short of allowing the US to build its own permanent bases on the isthmus.

The move came as the Trump administration repeatedly vowed to "take back" control of the strategic Panama Canal waterway.

By law, Panama operates the canal, giving access to all nations.

The US relinquished control of the crucial shipping route in 1999. Washington had invaded Panama a decade earlier to depose its leader, Manuel Noriega, in an invasion killed more than 500 Panamanians and razed parts of the capital.