Panama City, Feb. 1 -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Panama Saturday (local time) for his first trip since holding the job as US top diplomat.

According to CNN, Rubio's choice to visit Central America - Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic - is intentional and meant to drive forward the Trump agenda by "paying closer attention to our own neighbourhood."

Discussion about the Panama Canal is also "a priority" during Rubio's trip. He is also expected to emphasize efforts to counter China in the region.

However, aid officials and some US officials say this effort - and priorities like countering illegal migration and drug trafficking - have been undermined by his sweeping foreign assistance ...