China said it had "lodged serious protests" with the U.S. after the Trump administration restricted visas for Central American nationals who it believes are working to subvert the rule of law on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The State Department tightened the visa rules back in September, saying it was "countering China’s corrupt influence in Central America" and that affected "individuals and their immediate family members will be generally ineligible for entry" into the U.S.
Earlier this week, Panama's President José Raúl Mulino accused the local U.S. embassy of threatening to cancel his officials' visas. U.S. Ambassador to Panama Kevin Marino Cabrera said in response that a visa is a "privilege, not a right" and cited the State Department's tightened rules.
A spokesper