China summons Panama ambassador for pulling out of BRI after Trump’s threat

Beijing, Feb 8: China has summoned Panama’s ambassador to the country for pulling out of the multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), following US President Donald Trump’s threat to take back the Panama Canal.
Assistant Foreign Minister Zhao Zhiyuan on Friday summoned ambassador Miguel Humberto Lecaro Barcenas over Panama’s decision to not renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation with China on the BRI, Xinhua news agency reported.
Panama recently announced the termination of the MOU on the BRI, to which the Chinese side expressed deep regret, Zhao said.
Under the framework of the BRI, pragmatic cooperation between China and Panama has rapidly developed across various sectors and achieved a series of fruitful results, bringing tangible benefits to Panama and its people, Zhao said. The minister said more than 150 countries actively participate in the BRI, with achievements benefiting the people of various nations, including Panama.
Under the BRI, a signature initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China has made huge investments in various countries around the world to build major infrastructure projects by extending loans.
The BRI projects attracted criticism of being debt traps as many countries struggled to pay back Chinese loans.
“Any attempts to reverse the course on the BRI and go against the expectations of the Chinese and Panamanian people do not align with the vital interests of Panama,” Zhao said.
He said China firmly opposes the United States wantonly undermining the China-Panama relations and discrediting and undermining cooperation under the BRI through pressure and threats, Zhao said.
It is hoped that Panama will exclude external interference and make the right decision based on the overall situation of bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples, he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his visit to Panama had earlier warned Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino that the US would take “measures necessary” if it did not take immediate steps to end China’s influence and control over the Panama Canal. Mulino on Thursday announced Panama’s exit from the Chinese project. (PTI)