Panama’s President Juan Carlos Varela on Sunday (Monday in Manila) asked the United States to respect his country’s sovereignty after the US recalled its envoys from three regional countries for switching diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China. The United States on Friday recalled its envoys from El Salvador and the Dominican Republic, as well as its charge d’affaires from Panama, to protest the diplomatic switch. Those countries have said their decision reflected simple economic realities — big, fast-growing China has been spending billions to build ports, rail lines and other projects across Latin America. But Washington, now engaged in a trade war against Beijing, accuses the Chinese of trying to use aid to drive a wedge between Taipei and its Western Hemisphere partners. As “a sovereign country, we will always make our decisions” based on Panama’s own interests, he said.