China’s summons Panama’s Ambassador!
Beijing, Feb 8 (EFE).-
China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Zhao Zhiyuan summoned Panamanian Ambassador Miguel Humberto Lecaro Barcenas on Friday to lodge a formal protest over the decision by the Central American country to not renew the cooperation agreement with China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Zhao said that his country “deeply regrets” Panama’s decision and underlined that, under the BRI framework, “China-Panama cooperation has grown rapidly across various fields, delivering tangible benefits to Panama and its people.”
Reversing course on the BRI and disregarding the expectations of both nations does not align with Panama’s fundamental interests, Zhao said, according to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry.
Zhao emphasized that China respects Panama’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, advocates for the equality of all countries regardless of size, and sticks to mutual respect, and adherence to commitments.
He further lashed out at the United States for “arbitrary actions to undermine China-Panama relations and to tarnish and disrupt the cooperation in jointly building the BRI through pressure and threats.”
Moreover, he urged Panama to take the correct decision based on the overall situation of bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples.
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino announced that he would not renew the cooperation agreement with China on the infrastructure project under the BRI framework following a meeting on Sunday with the new US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
On several occasions, US President Donald Trump has threatened to take back the Panama Canal and criticized the decision of the late former President Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) to negotiate the treaties that allowed the transfer of the Canal to Panama, a process that was completed in 1999.
Trump has claimed that the Canal is under Beijing’s control.
China, meanwhile, has insisted that it is not involved in the management or operation of the Canal, which it recognizes as a neutral international infrastructure and has never interfered in its affairs.
The BRI is an investment and trade cooperation initiative promoted by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 to link China to Europe, the Middle East and Africa and, more recently, Latin America, something that has raised concern in Washington at the growing influence of the Asian giant in the region. EFE
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