U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Panama and four other countries in Central America and the Caribbean starting late next week during his first overseas trip as Washington's top diplomat,

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will pay his first trip starting next week to Central American nations including Panama, where President Donald Trump has threatened to seize the Panama Canal, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Central America for his first trip as the top US diplomat. Rubio is expected to depart late next week for Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Panama — the country whose canal President Donald Trump has suggested he’d seize — as early as next week, according to three U.S. officials briefed on the plan.

Marco Rubio will head overseas late next week; he's also scheduled to visit Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

Marco Rubio will make his first trip as US secretary of state to Central American nations including Panama, a spokeswoman said Thursday, after President Donald Trump threatened to seize the Panama Canal and clamped down hard on migration.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for the United States to consider additional exemptions to a 90-day pause on its foreign assistance to "ensure continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities.

Former U.S. senator from Florida Marco Rubio jumps into new role as secretary of state with flurry of phone calls, planned trip to Panama.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Rubio would travel to Panama as well as Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have been rising for some time now, and Rubio's appointment has widely been seen as a sign that Trump plans to maintain a hard line on China during his second term. One of the most outspoken China hawks in Washington, Rubio has introduced several bills targeting the Chinese Communist Party.

The latest news and information from Costa Rica including breaking news, weather, travel, events, sports and more.