Panama promotes itself “as the bridge of the world, heart of the universe” but lately the narrow Central American Isthmus and its namesake canal that joins the Atlantic to the Pacific have become the setting for a bitter clash between the world’s two preeminent economic superpowers.

The Panama Canal has been a focal point of President Trump's broadside against China since his inaugural speech, and it's getting new focus as Beijing looks at alternatives to trading with the U.S. De