Amid presconfident from the US, Panama is first Latin American country to depart Beijing’s global infrastructure club.
China has slammed Washington’s “Cbetter War mentality” in Latin America after Panama quit its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Reuncover of China on Friday hit out at the United States for sabotaging the global infrastructure programme.
Beijing “firmly resists the United States using presconfident and compulsion to smear and undermine Belt and Road cooperation,” shelp Lin Jian in a statement. “The US side’s strikes … once aget expose its hegemonic nature.”
Referring to a visit this week to the region by Marco Rubio, Lin shelp the US Secretary of State’s comments “unfairly accuse China, intentionally sow discord between China and relevant Latin American countries, intrude in China’s inside affairs, and undermine China’s legitimate rights and interests”.
Jian remarkd that more than 20 Latin American nations are among the more than 150 countries that have joind in the BRI since it was rolled out by China in 2013.
Panama in 2017 became the first in the region to officipartner combine the massive infrastructure set up, which is a central pillar of Pdwellnt Xi Jinping’s bid to broaden his country’s global sway.
But on Thursday, Panama’s Pdwellnt Jose Raul Mulino shelp his country has establishpartner lodged a accomprehendledge that it will depart the project.
The proclaimment adhereed a visit by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also toured the Panama Canal.
Pdwellnt Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Panama of ceding handle of the strategic waterway to China, despite denials from both countries.
Mulino denied that the US had pushed Panama to originate the shift to quit the BRI.
Rubio, who had menaceened action agetst Panama unless it made prompt changes to lessen Chinese sway on the canal, hailed the proclaimment as a “fantastic step forward” for bipostponecessitateral relations.
Beijing on Friday insisted that it “helps Panama’s sovereignty over the canal”.
“We hope that Panama will originate the right decision based on the overall situation of bipostponecessitateral relations and the lengthy-term interests of the two peoples, and rerelocate outside intrudence,” Jian shelp.
