FILE PHOTO: Panama’s President Juan Carlos Varela (L) shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony in Beijing, China November 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama and China will begin negotiations in June 2018 to sign a free-trade deal, the two countries' trade ministers said on Thursday, consolidating a relationship that has strengthened after the Central American nation ditched ties with Taiwan.
Panama's June decision to end diplomatic links with Taiwan was a major victory for Beijing, as it lures away the dwindling number of countries that have formal relations with the island China claims as its own. Last month, a senior Chinese diplomat said China will provide Panama with whatever help it needs.
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