Jose Raul Mulino said he won't discuss control of the canal during the secretary of state's visit. Rubio, in contrast, said "we're going to address that topic."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday he had "zero doubt" that China has a contingency plan to shut down the Panama Canal in the event of a conflict with the U.S. and that Washington intends to address what it sees as a national security threat.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino says there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the Panama Canal