{"id":14214,"date":"2026-06-26T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T12:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=14214"},"modified":"2026-06-25T14:45:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T19:45:47","slug":"us-ambassador-says-china-is-punishing-panama-for-port-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/news\/us-ambassador-says-china-is-punishing-panama-for-port-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"US Ambassador Says China is Punishing Panama for Port Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

United States Ambassador to Panama Kevin Marino Cabrera has accused China of retaliating against Panama. He claims Beijing is punishing the country for a Supreme Court ruling that voided a port concession. The ambassador made these statements Thursday in a television interview.<\/p>\n

Cabrera pointed to a sharp increase in ship inspections at Chinese ports. So far this year, 461 vessels flying the Panamanian flag have been detained in China. That number stood at 256 for all of 2025. The ambassador called the 400 percent spike no coincidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not a coincidence and it is not on purpose,\u201d Cabrera said in an interview with Telemetro. \u201cThat is not true, it is a lie and a colossal lie.\u201d [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n

The controversy stems from a Supreme Court ruling. Panama\u2019s highest court declared the Panama Ports Company concession<\/a> unconstitutional. That company is a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison. It operated two strategic ports in the country.<\/p>\n

\"panama
panama ports company worker by https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/ableman\/2173617583\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

China\u2019s OEA Intervention Sparks Diplomatic Tension<\/h2>\n

Chinese representative Xie Feng recently addressed the OEA in Panama. He questioned the court\u2019s decision during that session. Feng urged Panama to \u201ccorrect its mistakes\u201d and protect Chinese business interests.<\/p>\n

Feng also defended the inspections of Panamanian-flagged vessels. He argued they follow technical criteria, not ideological ones. Cabrera rejected that explanation completely.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a colossal lie and the Chinese ambassador should be ashamed,\u201d Cabrera said. \u201cThat is not true.\u201d [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are trying to punish Panama because, again, they are not accustomed to having an independent Judicial Branch. In their country that does not exist. In their country they control all government bodies. In Panama it is not like that, in the United States it is not like that. Where there is democracy, it is not like that.\u201d [Translated from Spanish]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The US ambassador claimed China has already \u201clost\u201d with the court ruling. He said the OEA intervention only served to \u201cunmask themselves, take off the mask.\u201d Cabrera insisted China is applying harsh measures against Panama deliberately.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States stands with Panama. We are friends, we are partners and allies, and we will continue to be so. You see what the Chinese do, what they do is abuse. They abuse people if they don’t do what they want,\u201d Cabrera added. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n

\"oas
oas \/ oea conclusion meeting by mire.gob.pa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ship Detentions Raise Maritime Concerns<\/h2>\n

The data on vessel detentions tells a stark story. Chinese authorities have nearly doubled their inspections of Panamanian-flagged ships. The 461 detentions this year represent a significant escalation.<\/p>\n

These Panamanian flag ship detentions in China<\/a> affect global shipping routes. Many vessels use Panama\u2019s flag registry for convenience. The increased scrutiny disrupts trade patterns and raises costs for ship operators.<\/p>\n

Panama\u2019s maritime authority has not issued an official response. Industry analysts watch the situation closely. The dispute could affect Panama\u2019s position as a major flag state.<\/p>\n

\"panama
panama and china flag<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Judicial Independence at the Core<\/h2>\n

The Supreme Court<\/a> ruling represents a key point of contention. Panama\u2019s judiciary acted independently against a foreign concession. That independence appears to have triggered the Chinese response.<\/p>\n

Diplomatic relations between Panama and China have soured. The port concession dispute now extends into broader trade and maritime issues. Panama finds itself caught between two global powers.<\/p>\n

US support for Panama\u2019s position adds another layer. Cabrera\u2019s statements signal Washington\u2019s alignment with Panama\u2019s sovereign decisions. The coming weeks will reveal how China responds to this diplomatic pressure.<\/p>\n

For now, 461 ships remain detained. The number grows each week. Panama\u2019s government must navigate this crisis while protecting its national interests and international relationships.<\/p>\n

\"ship<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

United States Ambassador to Panama Kevin Marino Cabrera has accused China of retaliating against Panama. He claims Beijing is punishing the country for a Supreme Court ruling that voided a port concession. The ambassador made these statements Thursday in a television interview. Cabrera pointed to a sharp increase in ship inspections at Chinese ports. So<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12390,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28,30,87,29],"tags":[5001,5002,4999,5000,4998],"class_list":["post-14214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-business-economy","category-featured","category-politics-government","tag-ambassador-says-china-punishing","tag-china-panama-ports","tag-china-punishment-panama","tag-panama-ports-ruling","tag-us-ambassador-china-panama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14214"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14215,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14214\/revisions\/14215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}