Panama and China Sign Maritime Agreement


News from Panama

Panama and China have signed an agreement on maritime transport in presence of China’s president Xi Jinping and Panama’s president Juan Carlos Varela, during Varela’s first visit to China after establishing diplomatic relations. The agreement aims to boost commercial ship traffic, both cargo and passenger ships, between the two countries. Panama’s Minister of Maritime Affairs […]

November 28, 2017

Panama builds “China team” to improve bilateral ties


News from Panama

Panama has created a “China team” within its government to improve relations with China after President Juan Carlos Varela visited Beijing in the past week. The “China team” comprises those from the ministries of economy and finance, trade and industry and the maritime authorities, the country’s Foreign Minister Isabel de Saint Malo was quoted by […]

November 28, 2017

Will Chinese Tourists Head For Panama?


News from Panama

In a region which for many years has specialized in serving North American tourists and more recently Europeans, preparing to provide the attention demanded by tourists from China will be a challenge, according to the Panamanian tourism entrepreneurs themselves. The fact that Panama is becoming a hub for air connections with the Asian region does […]

November 28, 2017

Can Mezcal Survive Being Popular?


News from Panama

“They say that people in America like mezcal a lot,” says Fortunato Angeles, leaning on a wooden tank of fermenting agave. “I like the work because it puts food on the table.” Four generations of his ancestors have distilled the smoky spirit from ripe maguey, or agave, toiling under the Oaxacan sun in southern Mexico […]

November 28, 2017

Independence of Panama from Spain


News from Panama

Boquete was very busy this week with celebrations, parties, dances and of course the largest parade in honor of Panama’s independence from Spain. Click on this picture to see the video that my friend John Hampton shot of the parade. There was even a huge  horse parade earlier in the week. History of Independence: Rebels […]

November 28, 2017

Promising Features of the China – Panama Alliance


News from Panama

Flights between the Asian country and Tocumen, a feasibility study to build a train to the border with Costa Rica and cooperation in financial, energy and maritime matters, are some of the results on offer from the agreements signed between the Chinese and Panamanian governments. Since the breakdown of Panama’s diplomatic relations with Taiwan and […]

November 22, 2017

What I am reading now


News from Panama

  On a warm and cloudless Sunday afternoon in the middle of August, Michelito Lagravere strode into the brand-new Caliente Plaza de Toros in downtown Tijuana to the sound of his name chanted by 3,000 spectators. Barely taller than a bull himself—hence his name, Little Michel, after his father, a French-born bullfighter—Lagravere is unassuming and […]

November 21, 2017

Fewer Mobile Phone Operators


News from Panama

If the bill that has already been approved in a first debate in Congress successful, the Panamanian mobile telephone market will have only three participants, instead of four, as at present. The aim of the bill is “… to consolidate the market so that the necessary investments in infrastructure can be achieved and thus technologically […]

November 21, 2017

Central America: $655 million in Public Works


News from Panama

In August 2017, 36 environmental impact studies were submitted in the centralamerican countries to build sewer systems, roads and government offices, among other things. Data from the interactive platform “Construction in Central America”, compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: Panama is where the largest amount of investment is concentrated, with about $570 million […]

November 21, 2017