This resolution highlights the historical significance of the Panama Canal, recognizing the ingenuity and labor of Americans who constructed it and emphasizing its vital role in connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The canal is crucial for United States regional security, hemispheric hegemony, and economic interests, with approximately 72 percent of its traffic involving U.S. ports. The Senate expresses significant concern regarding the growing influence of the People's Republic of China in the Panama Canal. It notes a pattern of Chinese-backed investment in port infrastructure and canal operations, including control of major ports by Chinese-affiliated companies, which poses a high risk of intelligence gathering and potential military advantage in a conflict. The resolution assesses that this increasing Chinese footprint constitutes a violation of the Neutrality Treaty , which reserved the right of the United States to defend the canal's permanent neutrality. It therefore urges the administration to ensure the canal remains neutral and to take all appropriate measures to enforce the provisions of the Neutrality Treaty.