Jilted but Persistent: Growing PRC Assertiveness in Panama

Matt Brazil

Jamestown China Brief

Executive Summary:

• The January 2026 Panamanian court decision against CK Hutchinson’s stake in the Panama Canal has led Beijing to halt state-sponsored investment, marking a turning point toward selective coercion in the relationship.

• Panama, the first Latin American country to join the One Belt One Road initiative after pivoting diplomatic recognition away from Taiwan, has had to balance its deeper relationship with the United States.

• Chinese media and Panamanian outlets echoing pro-Beijing themes stress economic benefits, sovereignty, and non-interference in the bilateral relationship. But partial success in driving adoption of its messages in local media could indicate scope for deepening influence in future.

  
  

  For the full article (no paywall), see https://jamestown.org/jilted-but-persistent-growing-prc-assertiveness-in-panama/