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Panama may switch ties to China, official says

National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Parris Chang (張旭成) revealed in Washington yesterday that Panamanian President Martin Torrijos Espino sought the US' consultation on Panama's plan of switching diplomatic allegiance from Taipei to Beijing.

Chang said Torrijos discussed the plan with US officials during his visit to Washington last week. Torrijos respects the US' opinion on the possible diplomatic change, and it remains unclear what Washington told him, Chang said.

He was speaking at a seminar held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank, on the expansion of China's influence in Latin America.

The Taiwanese government is doing its best to salvage its ties with Panama, one of Taiwan's 12 diplomatic allies in Latin America, Chang added.

China promises benefits to Taiwan's diplomatic allies if they agree to sever ties with Taiwan, but has often failed to keep its word, Chang said. He said Taiwan does not want to see Panama deceived by Beijing.

Lin Wen-cheng (林文程), vice president of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, said in the same seminar that after snatching away several of Taiwan's Latin American allies in recent years, China is now eyeing Panama and Paraguay.

Taiwan should work with the US and Japan to consider how to respond to China's expansion of its influence in Latin America, said Alexander Huang (黃介正), director of Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of Strategic and International Studies, who also attended the seminar.

Despite Chang's disclosure of Torrijos' intention to establish official relations with China, Panama's embassy in Taiwan said yesterday it did not know if Torrijos brought up the issue in his meetings with US officials.

An embassy official said that while Panama's ambassador to Taiwan, Julio Mock Cardenas, was informed of Torrijos' trip to Washington and the contents of his discussions with US officials, he did not know that the president mentioned the possibility of having diplomatic ties with Beijing.

Ko Jai-son (柯吉生), director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of Central and South American Affairs, said "We knew Torrijos traveled to Washington, but did not know he brought up the issue with US officials."

Ko said that Taiwan's embassy in Panama is paying attention to the developments following Torrijos' US trip.

The US State Department said early last month that isolating Taiwan is one of the main factors driving China's interest in Latin America and noted that Washington would continue to keep a close eye on Beijing's activities in the region.

US Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega told a House subcommittee last month that "rivalry with Taiwan always plays into China's courting of Latin American countries."

"In the cases of Dominica and Grenada, Chinese promises of assistance followed recognition, with China promising Dominica US$112 million over six years. Taiwan has sought to counter this with its own aid program in the region," Noriega said.
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