global economy
global economy
global economy
Advertisement
Supported by
Beijing’s efforts to expand its influence in the country have run into several obstacles due to U. S. pressure.
By Vivian Wang
Reporting from Beijing
There has been talk of a high-speed rail line that China would build in Panama. A new metro line in Panama City. A container port.
China has been racing for years to build ties and exert influence in Panama, as part of its broader ambition to expand its presence in Latin America. This effort has had some successes, but also many setbacks.
In 2017, China scored a major victory when Panama cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its territory, and recognized Beijing instead. Panama had been one of the few countries worldwide to recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state.
The following year, Panama became the first Latin American country to sign onto the Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature global infrastructure program, which is aimed at enlarging China’s geopolitical heft and countering American influence.
A flurry of ambitious promises followed. China proposed to build a 250-mile high-speed rail line from Panama City, the capital, toward the western border with Costa Rica. It offered to help build a new subway line in Panama City. A consortium of Chinese companies, led by the conglomerate Landbridge, began developing a container port that was promised to be Panama’s most modern one.
A Chinese state-owned company has also won a $1. 4 billion contract to build a fourth bridge over the Panama Canal. In the end, the two countries said they would negotiate a flexible industrial agreement.
We are recovering the content of the article.
Allow JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we determine access. If you’re in Reader mode, exit and log into your Times account or subscribe to the full Times.
Thank you for your patience while we determine access.
Already a subscriber? Sign in.
Do you want all the Times? Subscribe.
Advertisement