The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama issued a statement in response to comments from the Chinese Embassy. A diplomat added, "I know they come from a communist country, perhaps they can learn that here in Panama there is democracy and people make their own decisions."
The reaction of Panama's Foreign Ministry is related to statements from a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy to the local newspaper La Prensa, who warned that "the eventual visit of certain Panamanian deputies to Taiwan would be the first official contact since the resumption of diplomatic relations between Panama and China" and that "this seriously violates the one-China principle and is an intervention in the internal affairs of China".
The spokesperson confirmed that "the deputies have been asked to 'immediately cease any contact or official exchange of any kind and cancel the plan to visit Taiwan,'" the newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The trip to Taiwan by a dozen lawmakers, according to local press data, was criticized by Mulino last week, when he asserted that it did not have the "support or approval" of his Government.
Panama established diplomatic relations with China, to the detriment of Taiwan, in June 2017, in a surprising move by then President Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019) that led to the signing of more than two dozen bilateral agreements.
The progress of this cooperation, including the negotiation of a free trade treaty, was halted by the government of Laurentino Cortizo (2019-2024), while Mulino announced this year the non-renewal of the agreement with China on the "New Silk Road" infrastructure project.
"Panama, as a sovereign State, does not accept conditioning or pressures that seek to influence the legitimate decisions of its authorities, including the actions of the National Assembly (...), even when those decisions are not shared by the National Government," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
When asked by journalists about this, the U.S. ambassador showed himself on Wednesday to be "in agreement with the message" from the Panamanian Foreign Ministry, and opined that "the Chinese Embassy should not be involved in those internal issues".
