A planned trip by some Panamanian lawmakers to Taiwan has unleashed the latest diplomatic spat with China as the Central American country tries to navigate the turbulent waters between the Asian superpower and the US.
The Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US ambassador to the country on Wednesday criticized China’s diplomats in Panama for asking the lawmakers to cancel their trip to Taiwan, with the ministry accusing the Chinese embassy of “meddling” in its internal affairs.
That followed comments from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino a week earlier saying that the planned Taiwan trip did not have the approval of his administration and reminding the lawmakers that the executive branch was responsible for Panama’s foreign policy.
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China has also been embroiled in a spat with Tokyo after new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Nov. 7 said that a Chinese naval blockade or other action against Taiwan could be grounds for a Japanese military response. Her comments drew a warning from China against any interference in Taiwan.
In Latin America, Chinese diplomats have worked to get governments to establish diplomatic relations with it and cut ties to Taiwan. Panama established relations with Beijing in 2017 after breaking them off with Taipei.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has brought the weight of the US government to bear on the issue this year, starting with accusations that China could influence the operations of the strategically important Panama Canal because a Hong Kong-based conglomerate held the long-term concession to operate ports at either end of the canal.
The canal’s administration and the Panamanian government have denied that China had any sway over canal operations.
The Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said in a statement that “as a sovereign country, it does not accept restrictions, nor pressure that tries to influence the legitimate decisions of its subordinates.”
The statement did not name China, but came a day after one of the country’s largest newspapers, La Prensa, reported that 10 lawmakers were asked by the Chinese embassy to immediately cancel the trip because it “seriously violates the principle of one China” and constitutes “an intervention in Chinese internal affairs.”
The Chinese embassy referred a request for comment to the reporting from La Prensa.
Some of the lawmakers who planned to make the Taiwan trip later this week defended their decision.
They said the visit would expose them to models and experiences that could help Panama’s modernization, others cited opportunities for investment and cooperation.
US Ambassador to Panama Kevin Marino Cabrera said that China’s embassy “shouldn’t be involved in those issues.”
Mulino has lamented that Panama has been drawn into US-China tensions.
When US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in February visited Panama on his first trip as the US’ top diplomat, he made China’s influence a top issue.
Mulino said then that Panama would not be renewing its agreement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative when it expires.
The initiative promotes and funds infrastructure and development projects that critics say leave poor member countries heavily indebted to China.
Cabrera in August gave public backing to Panamanian lawmakers who joined the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group of hundreds of lawmakers from dozens of countries concerned about how democracies approach Beijing.
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