Varela spokesmen silent on Pompeo’s China warnings

Panama’ s Secretary of State Communication sidestepped reporting on discussions on China during US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ’s meeting with  President Juan Carlos Varela on Thursday, although media had already published an interview in which Pompeo warned Panama to be wary of Chinese investment which had caused problems in other countries.

The official report of the meeting whose 40 minutes just about equaled the time it took for the visitor’s 15 vehicle convoy to travel  from his plane to the presidential palace and back said they talked about the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and Nicaragua, but ignored the  issue  of China with whom Panama is rapidly developing closer ties from education to a Free Trade Agreement.

But on the plane taking him to Mexico for meetings with the President-elect Pompeo told accompanying journalists

“We had the opportunity to speak with local media and reiterate to the entire region that when China comes knocking on the door, it is not always for the welfare of its citizens, and that when they come with direct  legitimate investment, legitimate, that is transparent and according to the law, that is competition and it is something that the United States welcomes, but when they come up with proposals that seem too good to be true, it is usual that this is the case” said  an  official transcript published by the State Department.

Asked Pompeo if there was “any specific project in Panama” or Chinese investment in the isthmus, which was being watched with attention by the US government Pompeo said:  “The important thing is not that China is competing around the world, we welcome that,  but when state-owned companies appear in a non-transparent way, not guided by the market, and are not designed for the benefit of Panamanians but for the  state This is the kind of thing that we believe is inappropriate and negative for the Panamanian people or any other country with which China has implemented that kind of predatory economic activity “Pompeo said.

The rest of the conversation on the plane was about Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the march of Honduran migrants to the United States.

The New York Times, which reported on the warnings from Pompeo to Varela. “The warning from Pompeo was one of the statements made by a senior US official, that made clearer the growing anxiety in Washington as a result of economic activities by China at a global level,” said the NYT note.