On April 30, Panamanian President José Miguel Alemán stated that, to some extent, Panama "has been caught between the two major powers—China and the United States."
He further defended himself, saying that these ports were not "expropriated," but merely "taken over" due to the absence of contracts, and emphasized that there was "no intention to escalate" the issue.
Additionally, he mentioned that recent incidents involving ships flying the Panamanian flag being seized in China have continued to rise sharply, adding that he "does not wish for the situation to escalate" and "does not want Panamanian-flagged vessels used as leverage," as this would be "unfair" to Panama.
A word to say:
Now that the Panamanian president is only remembering "fairness" and expressing concern about escalation— isn't it already too late? Didn't he used to stand firm before? Why only now does he recall these principles? Was he not warned by China earlier, or has he simply come to regret his choices?
If Panama chose sides with the United States from the beginning and cooperated in blocking China’s trade routes, he should have anticipated today’s outcome.
China is a nation of etiquette and tradition—it always acts with diplomacy before resorting to force. At the outset, China did not fail to warn Panamanian leaders; it was simply that he was overly self-confident!
Moreover, there's an old Chinese saying: "Don’t refuse kindness when offered, then suffer punishment." Panama has brought trouble upon itself because of the canal issue—don’t blame others. Blame instead Panama and its president for failing to understand China, for failing to understand Chinese culture, and for still clinging to the outdated notion that China remains the weak, impoverished, and submissive country of the past. That view is profoundly mistaken!
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863984118300746/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.