Taiwan President Pays Brief Visit to Panama
(http://www.khaleejtimes.com/) Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou and his Panamanian counterpart Martin Torrijos discussed joint cooperation during a brief visit by the Taiwanese leader to Panama Wednesday.
Ma made a stop in the Central American country at the start of his first trip overseas since taking office three months ago, in a bid to improve ties with Taipei's allies in Latin America.
‘The conversation was very cordial and frank, and revised the status of diplomatic relations and cooperation,’ said Samuel Lewis, first vice president and chancellor of Panama, after a two-hour meeting between the two leaders at Tocumen airport.
Panama ‘maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan at the same time as maintaining commercial relations with the People's Republic of China,’ Lewis underlined.
Panama is one of the most strategically significant countries in Central America, and is among the 23 nations that recognise Taiwan rather than China, from which the island split in 1949 after a civil war.
Taiwan is the 12th biggest user of the Panama Canal that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, while China is number one.
Panama has important commercial links with China, with bilateral trade running at some one billion dollars, compared with some 259 million dollars with Taiwan.
Taiwan and China have in the past used generous financial packages to ensure the loyalty of governments, especially in Africa, Latin America and the Pacific.
Ma is due to attend the inauguration on Friday of Paraguay's President-elect Fernando Lugo, a leftist ex-bishop elected in April who is reportedly seeking to normalise ties with Beijing.
Ma will also attend the presidential inauguration of the Dominican Republic's Leonel Fernandez on Saturday
