Chinese businesses in Panama concerned about government's stance towards China
發佈日期: 2025-06-29 20:41
TVB News
Amid worsening relations between Panama and China recently, some Panamanians of Chinese-descent and Chinese businesses based in the Central American country have suffered backlash from the situation.
While some local businesses are considering divesting their interests, others believe it would be difficult to decouple from China.
The return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency has ushered in a new era of Sino-Panamanian relations.
Under the rule of pro-U.S. President Jose Raul Mulino, the Panamanian government accused Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison of violating several parts of its contract to acquire a number of ports on the Panama Canal in 2021.
It was also during Mulino's administration that the Latin American nation pulled out of the Belt and Road Initiative, and replaced radio towers that used Huawei technology with American alternatives.
Besides infrastructure-related disputes, the country's 200,000 residents of Chinese descent have become unwilling participants in this political squabble.
Alex Xie, who has been living in Panama for some 20 years, said many Chinese companies based in the country are worried about investing under such unstable political conditions, adding that many are considering divesting their interests.
He noted these businesses no longer feel safe without the Belt and Road Initiative's presence in the nation, and that it is the Panamanian public that will bear the economic consequences of pulling out of the programme.
Xie further criticised Panamanian authorities for sacrificing the well-being of the public in a bid to forge closer ties with Washington, and that the government's move has disappointed many average Panamanians.
Meanwhile, Leon Zheng, who has been running a trade business in Panama for the past 32 years, said it is difficult to measure the effects of the political dispute on the business sector.
He added that the Panamanian government would deliberately mislead the public to create a negative view of Chinese businesses.
This as the Latin American nation had suffered from a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment during the last century, with large numbers of Chinese-owned shops forcibly confiscated and many ethnic-Chinese-Panamanians having to change their surnames to avoid attacks.
But Zheng believes this tragic part of Panama's history will not repeat itself.
