Joe Biden to visit Panama in September

Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Panama and Mexico the third week of September to highlight US ties in the region.

 His trip to Panama will be preceded by visits to the ports of Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina, on September 16.

 These two major U.S. ports are preparing to accommodate higher cargo volumes estimated to pass through the Panama Canal, where the expansion project will be completed in 2015. The increased traffic of larger ships will create greater opportunities in the region and may open new export markets for U.S. businesses says a US government release.
The visits are a follow up to President Obama's tour of the Port of Jacksonville, Florida, on July 25, where the President said: "… we need modern ports to move more products made in the United States to the rest of the world."
In Panama, the Vice President will visit the Panama Canal expansion and meet with President Martinelli to emphasize mutual interest in improving integration in Central America as a means to accelerate regional economic growth.
In Mexico, the Vice President will launch the High Level Economic Dialogue and participate in an education event highlighting the Bilateral Forum on Education, Innovation and Research.
He will meet with President Peña Nieto, highlighting the commitment of the United States to deepen the close economic ties with Mexico, our third largest trading partner in the world, and to strengthening the bilateral relationship.