Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino expressed that he does not see a practical point to the visit of a group of deputies to Taiwan, given that everything they discuss there is not binding and does not generate any commitment for Panama, which broke relations with the island in 2017 to establish them with Beijing.
Mulino, who from the very beginning censured the parliamentary visit to Taiwan, arguing that Panama maintains diplomatic ties with China, stated during his weekly press conference that he has read "with surprise the expressions" of some of the legislators who are in Taipei, because "they have no authority to say what they are saying".
The working visit to Taiwan of nine Panamanian deputies, which began on Tuesday and will end next Saturday, has generated a diplomatic controversy in Panama as it is the first by officials since the break in relations with the island, considered rebellious by China.
Amid this tension, the president of Panama once again criticized that in June 2017, then-President Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019) unexpectedly opened relations with China to the detriment of Taiwan, which was "very friendly to Panama" and "helped" the country after the U.S. invasion in 1989 "with fresh funds" to pay "overdue interest (on the external debt) as a result of U.S. sanctions", among other things.
"No one has ever asked me anything about Taiwan, never, never, in the sense of whether we would be willing to open a Taiwan trade office in Panama. If that request comes, it will be analyzed and I will inform the country, not like the other one, who behind closed doors and in the middle of the night, opened relations with China," Mulino declared on November 20.
Not only did Mulino disapprove, but it also generated comments from the Chinese Embassy that the Panamanian Executive deemed "unacceptable interference in its internal affairs".
"They (the Panamanian deputies visiting Taiwan) do not have the legal capacity to speak on these issues. The Executive Branch speaks on these issues with countries through the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its international relations," Mulino stated.
Independent deputy Betserai Richards has informed through his social networks that within the framework of the visit, the parliamentary mission has visited technology parks as part of the efforts "to continue seeking opportunities to attract (to Panama) investments", and has met with the head of Parliament, Han Kuo-yu, with whom they exchanged "views on the importance of promoting public policies that make public management transparent" and strengthen democracy in Panama and Taiwan.
"For my Government, these are declarations that have no obligation or any sense," affirmed Mulino.
