Beijing:
After US President Donald Trump’s threatening to withdraw the Panama Canal, China has summoned its ambassador deployed in his country to exit Panama from the billions of dollars ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI). According to the report of government news agency Xinhua, Assistant External Affairs Minister Jhao Jhiyuan on Friday summoned Ambassador Miguel Hamberto Lekaro Barchenas on Panama’s decision not to renew the Memorandum of MoU on BRI on cooperation with China.

Jhao said, Panama recently announced the abolition of MoU on BRI, on which the Chinese side expressed deep regrets. Jhao said that under the BRI structure, practical cooperation has developed rapidly in various regions between China and Panama, which has led to many useful results, which has made concrete benefits to Panama and its people.

The minister said that more than 150 countries actively participate in BRI, whose achievements have benefited from people of different countries including Panama. Under the BRI initiative of Chinese President Xi Chinfing, China has invested heavy in various countries around the world for the construction of major infrastructure projects by giving loans.

BRI projects were criticized for implicating the debt trap as many countries had to struggle to repay Chinese loans. Jhao said, “No attempt to reverse the progress related to BRI and go against the expectations of China and Panama is not in line with the important interests of Panama.”

Jhao said that China strongly opposed the US to weaken the China-Narma relations and discredit cooperation under BRI through pressure and threats. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had warned Panama President Jose Raul Mulinino during its first Panama visit that if the immediate steps were not taken to end China’s influence and control on the Panama Canal, America ‘necessary steps’ Will pick up Mulinino announced the exit of Panama’s Chinese project on Thursday.

(Tagstotranslate) Donald Trump (T) PANAMA (T) Ambassador of Panama (T) China-Panama Relations