President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) exchanged greetings and shook hands twice with US Sec-retary of State Colin Powell as he attended the state banquet arranged by Panamanian President Mireya Moskoso. This Chen-Powell meeting was made possible thanks to the Panamanian government's meticulous arrangements. This is the most rewarding part of Chen's trip to Panama.
Although Taiwan and Panama have maintained relatively stable relations, rumors of discord have surfaced every now and again.
Taiwan is at a disadvantage competing with China in Panama. In terms of economic statistics, China enjoys a far closer relationship with Panama than does Taiwan. China-Panama bilateral trade in 2001 reached US$1.241 billion, while the trade volume between Taiwan and Panama that same year was US$120 million.
China is the third-biggest user of the Panama Canal. Hutchison Whampoa, which operates the ports of Cristobal and Balboa at each end of the Panama Canal, enjoys close ties with China. The business fees the company pays annually are very important for the Panamanian government. Under these circumstances, Taiwanese diplomats have been under great pressure, especially after 1996 when China and Panama set up trade representative offices.
There was a breakthrough in August, however, when Taiwan and Panama signed a free-trade agreement (FTA), an important indicator of bilateral relations.
Every country has political and economic considerations when signing FTAs. Taiwan gave a great preferential deal to Panama's agricultural produce and even promised to offer an annual duty-free import quota of 5,000 tonnes of sugar. Panama could even make Taiwan its springboard to enter the Asian market.
For the Taiwanese govern-ment, however, the import value from Panama only totals US$4.8 million, accounting for a small proportion in the nation's foreign trade. Therefore, after the FTA takes effect, its impact on the Taiwanese market will be limited.
But this FTA won't just benefit Panama. The Taiwanese government also benefits from expanding businesses into American countries. Moreover, Taiwanese businesspeople investing in Panama enjoy the same treatment extended to Panamanian nationals. Panama also promised to open up its finance, land transportation, tourism, logistics and value-added telecommunications service industries.
In general, the FTA covers three main areas: trade liberalization, expedition and economic cooperation. If these can be implemented step by step, Taiwan-Panama relations will gradually develop into a more refined network. Our efforts made Panama's first Vice President Arturo Vallarino call off a trip to Beijing on Aug. 30 at the last minute. This symbolizes the fruit we have harvested from the long-term cultivation of diplomatic relations with Panama.
Chen's transit stop in the US en route to Panama implies a possibility that we can make use of the US factor. Although the US has formally returned the Panama Canal to Panama, the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 stipulates that the US shall have primary responsibility to protect and defend the canal when facing any armed attack or other actions that threaten the security of the canal or of ships passing through it. It suggests the intervention of the US anytime in the name of security. Apart from that, Panama's deep dependence on US trade and investment has forced the country to heed the US' stance.
In the future, Taiwan should closely integrate its diplomatic efforts in the US with those in Panama and other Central American countries so as to bring its overall strength into full play.
Teng Chung-chian is a visiting scholar at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at George Washington University and a professor of diplomacy at National Chengchi University.
Translated by Jackie Lin
There is much evidence that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is sending soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and is learning lessons for a future war against Taiwan. Until now, the CCP has claimed that they have not sent PLA personnel to support Russian aggression. On 18 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskiy announced that the CCP is supplying war supplies such as gunpowder, artillery, and weapons subcomponents to Russia. When Zelinskiy announced on 9 April that the Ukrainian Army had captured two Chinese nationals fighting with Russians on the front line with details
On a quiet lane in Taipei’s central Daan District (大安), an otherwise unremarkable high-rise is marked by a police guard and a tawdry A4 printout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating an “embassy area.” Keen observers would see the emblem of the Holy See, one of Taiwan’s 12 so-called “diplomatic allies.” Unlike Taipei’s other embassies and quasi-consulates, no national flag flies there, nor is there a plaque indicating what country’s embassy this is. Visitors hoping to sign a condolence book for the late Pope Francis would instead have to visit the Italian Trade Office, adjacent to Taipei 101. The death of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), joined by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), held a protest on Saturday on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. They were essentially standing for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is anxious about the mass recall campaign against KMT legislators. President William Lai (賴清德) said that if the opposition parties truly wanted to fight dictatorship, they should do so in Tiananmen Square — and at the very least, refrain from groveling to Chinese officials during their visits to China, alluding to meetings between KMT members and Chinese authorities. Now that China has been defined as a foreign hostile force,
On April 19, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) gave a public speech, his first in about 17 years. During the address at the Ketagalan Institute in Taipei, Chen’s words were vague and his tone was sour. He said that democracy should not be used as an echo chamber for a single politician, that people must be tolerant of other views, that the president should not act as a dictator and that the judiciary should not get involved in politics. He then went on to say that others with different opinions should not be criticized as “XX fellow travelers,” in reference to
RSS