Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino on Thursday accused the United States of pressuring Panamanian officials to reduce the presence of Chinese companies in the country. Even before taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to take back the Panama Canal, arguing the interoceanic route is under Beijing’s control.
Now, according to Mulino, staff at the U.S. embassy in Panama have threatened to revoke entry visas for Panamanian officials who favor the presence of Chinese companies. “I do have that information, from several people, that there’s a female embassy official going around threatening to take away visas. That is not consistent with the good relationship I hope to maintain with the United States,” Mulino said during his weekly press conference.
“They are free to grant and revoke visas from whomever they want, but not by threatening, ‘if you don’t do this, I’ll take your visa,’” he added. Mulino was responding to a journalist who asked about pressure from the U.S. embassy on ministers, lawmakers, and Panamanian lawyers to harm Chinese companies in Panama.
Hours later, the U.S. ambassador to Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera, defended the right to revoke visas, without confirming or denying the threats alleged by Mulino. “We revoke and deny visas in accordance with our laws and regulations, regardless of the individual’s profession or position in government,” he said in a message.
The ambassador noted that since September the State Department has had “a new visa restriction policy” for Central Americans who “intentionally act on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.” China’s presence in Panama dates back to the mid-19th century, when Chinese nationals arrived to work on the construction of the interoceanic railroad.
Panama has maintained diplomatic relations with China since 2017, after breaking ties with Taiwan. Since then, Chinese companies have won contracts to carry out several infrastructure projects, such as a cruise port and a new bridge over the Panama Canal.
“The contracts that exist with Chinese companies on the part of the State are well known and very few,” Mulino said, “and they cannot be eliminated, no matter how much you are the United States.”“All I aspire to is respect. It would not occur to me to go to the state of California to talk about California’s problems or the United States’ problems within its territory,” he added.
In June, the Trump administration canceled the visa of former Panamanian president Martín Torrijos (2004–2009), along with other politicians and activists, for criticizing an agreement that allows the deployment of U.S. military personnel in the Central American country.
