During the meeting, strategic projects of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) and the opportunities surrounding these plans were discussed. The projects of the Panama Canal and the National Government also motivated the interest of the president of the Confederation of Production and Commerce (CPC), former Minister Susana Jiménez, with whom Icaza also met. During the encounter, the interest of the Chilean private sector in advancing the memorandum of understanding signed with the Chamber of Commerce, Industries, and Agriculture of Panama was highlighted, with the aim of strengthening trade relations and promoting new investments between both countries. This agreement was signed during the CAF – Economic Forum of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Panama in January 2026. Finally, Icaza and Minister Chapman held a meeting with the president of Compañía Sudamericana de Vapores, Óscar Hasbún, who recently joined the International Advisory Board of the Panama Canal. During the meeting, they exchanged opinions on the future of the maritime transport industry, the logistics sector, global supply chains, and Chilean exports, as well as on the strategic role of Panama as a logistics hub of the Americas. As part of the Panamanian delegation headed by President José Raúl Mulino in the Republic of Chile, the Minister for Canal Affairs and Presidential Goals Secretary, José Ramón Icaza, held productive meetings with presidents of guilds and leaders of the Chilean private sector. This agenda took place prior to President Mulino's participation as a head of state guest at the inauguration of José Antonio Kast, this Wednesday, March 11. The first meeting was with former Chilean President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, president of the Infrastructure Policy Council (CPI), which brings together companies, private sector guilds, universities, and specialists with the objective of promoting and evaluating sustainable public infrastructure policies and projects in the South American country. The meeting also included the participation of the president of COPSA and former Minister Gloria Hutt; Carlos Cruz, executive director of the CPI and former minister; and members of its board of directors. During the meeting, experiences were shared on the Chilean model of concessions and public-private partnerships (PPP). In this context, Icaza proposed to the CPI to advance towards a framework cooperation agreement that allows for reviewing, perfecting, and strengthening the Panamanian model based on the lessons learned in Chile. Subsequently, Icaza held a meeting with the CEO of Empresa CP y Grupo Empresas Navieras, a company that provides tugboat leasing services to the Panama Canal.
