Another Sino-American diplomatic spat over Panama has flared, as the Chinese embassy in the Central American country accused Washington’s top envoy there of “spreading lies” to undermine Beijing’s regional ties.
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In an interview with the digital media outlet Contrapeso Panamá published on Sunday, the US ambassador to Panama, Kevin Cabrera, said Washington viewed China’s presence in the Panama Canal as “malign” and claimed Beijing was fooling Latin America with its investments.
“They come in, give away money and engage in corruption, which the US does not do. American companies cannot participate in those things,” Cabrera was quoted as saying.
“Just look at Chile, Peru and Ecuador: the dams they built, the mines they built. It’s been a disaster,” the US ambassador added.
“And let’s not even talk about the canal they were going to build in Nicaragua. They spent I don’t know how much destroying the environment, and nothing happened.”
Hours after the interview was published, the Chinese embassy in Panama issued a statement saying Cabrera “once again spread lies on issues related to China”.