Chinese Government Willing to Cooperate in the Construction of the Panama-David Train

The Chinese ambassador to Panama, Xu Xueyan, announced that the government of the Asian country is willing to resume the Panama-David train project, if the next administration of the elected president, José Raúl Mulino, decides so.  “I want to highlight that the desire to build this railway is not a cry from this government, but rather a cry from the previous administrations of Panama… The president-elect says that he is going to organize a public tender… We hope that Chinese companies will also join in and be able to have an opportunity to compete equally,” said the ambassador during her first meeting with the media.  In turn, Xueyan praised the seventh anniversary of diplomatic relations between Panama and China that were established on June 13, 2017 and the 66 cooperation agreements that have been achieved, on issues of trade, technology and culture. “These agreements have not only laid a solid foundation for bilateral cooperation, but have also fostered unprecedented cultural and economic exchange,” he said.  Likewise, the diplomat let it be known that the Chinese government would be available to resume negotiations for the signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) between China and Panama, if the local authorities make the respective requests.  “The experiences of other Latin American countries that have signed FTAs ​​with China show significant benefits in terms of employment and economic growth.”  Regarding imports, the ambassador stated that although national agricultural production does not completely meet the needs of the Chinese market, there is significant potential to diversify and increase exports of seafood, pineapple, beef and papaya.

José Ramón Icaza, Minister of the Canal and also appointed to head the Goals Secretariat, by the elected president José Raúl Mulino, will have among his priorities to follow up on the construction of the railway that connects the province of Panama with David, Chiriquí.  This is one of the most important infrastructure projects for the Mulino administration, which begins July 1.