Panama was the first Latin American country to officially endorse BRI in November 2017, five months after switching diplomatic ties to China from Taiwan, the democratically governed island Beijing claims as its territory.
China rejects Western criticism of the plan, saying well over one hundred countries have joined it, boosting global development with new ports, bridges, railway and other projects.
Nonetheless, it has been mired in controversy, with some partner nations bemoaning the high cost of projects and struggling to repay loans. Italy withdrew from the initiative in 2023 under US pressure over concerns about Beijing’s economic reach.
Such US concerns have long extended to some Chinese companies’ operations near the Panama Canal, including a Hong Kong-based firm operating two ports at both entrances of the waterway, built by the United States in the early 20th century and handed over to Panama in 1999.
Two Chinese state-owned firms are separately building a fourth bridge over one of the canal’s entrances.
