China has issued a statement condemning the United States after Panama decided to withdraw from Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on February 7 that China firmly opposes what it called “US smearing and sabotage” of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), according to Reuters. Mr. Lin accused the US of using pressure and coercion to force Panama to decide to withdraw from the BRI.
On February 6, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino confirmed that Panama had officially withdrawn from the BRI, a program the country had participated in since 2017. Panama is the first Latin American country to join and withdraw from China's infrastructure initiative.
The spokesperson said China deeply regrets Panama's decision and hopes it will think carefully, take into account the overall bilateral relationship and the long-term interests of the two peoples, and eliminate external interference.
Panama denies allowing US government ships to pass through canal for free
Panama's decision was announced after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made his first trip since taking office to Central America, including Panama. Rubio threatened action against Panama if it did not make immediate changes to reduce China's influence over the Panama Canal.
Rubio later hailed President Mulino’s decision to withdraw from the BRI as a major step forward for US-Panama relations. Mulino said Panama had sent formal documentation to China to withdraw from the initiative, but denied that the decision was made at the request of the US.
A container ship waits at Balboa Port in Panama City before passing through the Panama Canal on February 4.
In addition, after US President Donald Trump threatened to reclaim control of the Panama Canal, President Mulino also ordered an inspection of Hutchison Holdings (headquartered in Hong Kong) which operates ports at both ends of the canal.
"If they violate the concessions or cause direct economic harm to the country, we will act accordingly but as of now, the inspection is ongoing," Mr. Mulino said on February 6.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/trung-quoc-len-an-my-sau-khi-panama-rut-khoi-bri-185250207161325623.htm
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