A Panamanian legislator is calling for Taiwan to set up a commercial office in Panama, saying it could widen trade and create jobs while foreign-policy authority remains with the executive.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China held its annual summit in The Hague on Nov. 5-6, where Jhonathan Edir Vega made the appeal, Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) reported. CNA interviewed Vega at the gathering. He offered no figures for possible increases in trade or employment.
He cited Taiwan's democratic system and technology sector, including semiconductors, as reasons Panamanian lawmakers support closer links. He also pointed to the Panama Canal's role in global commerce and communication. Vega described possible gains, but made no numerical estimate of their scale.
Vega said Panama's executive government would determine whether to establish a representative office. President José Raúl Mulino used a Sept. 8 post to say legislators' dealings with Taiwan did not amount to endorsement by his administration, and described foreign relations as an executive responsibility. CNA also asked Vega about reports of pressure on lawmakers over a 2025 trip to Taiwan; he said Panama would make its own choices about overseas visits, the agency reported.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said a cross-party friendship group linking Taiwan and Panama's National Assembly began operating Sept. 8. MOFA said 45 legislators joined when it launched, more than 60% of the Assembly's 71 members. The ministry said it would coordinate with the Assembly and the group on parliamentary diplomacy and Taiwan-Panama relations.
Other published counts differ: La Prensa reported 43 legislators at the group's launch, while CNA counted 50 as of Nov. 8; the reports do not explain the variation.
That ministry announcement concerned legislative ties; it did not announce a commercial office. Panama formally ended relations with Taiwan on June 13, 2017, and established diplomatic ties with Beijing, according to MOFA's statement at the time.
