‘They could probably do it from Beijing with a few keystrokes’
PANAMA CITY, Panama—If China wanted to disable the Panama Canal to stop the flow of military or cargo ships through it, it likely could do so through an attack on the software system, military veteran and “Hot Zone” podcaster Chuck Holton says.
Using a Chinese ship to physically block the canal could cause a temporary disruption, but a cyberattack would likely create a much more serious issue, according to Holton, a former U.S. Army Ranger-turned-war correspondent.
If China were to “scrambled the software that is used to open and close the locks, or something like that, now you’ve got a bigger problem,” Holton said, adding that it is “very likely” China already has the ability to “scramble” the technology used to operate the Panama Canal.
The “software that runs the canal, very likely, is also infected with Chinese hackers,” he said, and if China “wanted to damage or shut down the canal, they could probably do it from Beijing with a few keystrokes. They don’t have to have Chinese troops at the port and they don’t. They don’t need them.”
Holton, who serves as a foreign correspondent for Newsmax, lives in Panama and was part of the U.S. military invasion of Panama in 1989 to oust the nation’s corrupt dictator, Manuel Noriega.
Standing in the square of Casco Viejo, Panama City’s historic district, Holton told The Daily Signal that China is actively working to gain influence in Panama, but “China is not running the canal.”
During his inauguration speech on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump said, “China is operating the Panama Canal.
