Hey there! Have you ever had a friend who decided not to join a group project anymore? That’s kind of what happened between China and Panama recently.
China and Panama were working together on something called the Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI for short. Think of the BRI like a big teamwork project where countries help each other build roads, bridges, and other cool things to make travel and trade easier.
But Panama decided not to continue this project with China. When China heard about this, they felt sad and a bit disappointed. Assistant Foreign Minister Zhao Zhiyuan spoke to Panama’s ambassador, Miguel Humberto Lecaro Barcenas, to talk about it.
China believes that working together on the BRI has brought lots of good things to both countries, like new jobs and better connections. Over 150 countries are part of this big project! China hopes that Panama will think carefully and maybe change its mind.
China also mentioned that they respect Panama and believe that countries, big or small, should treat each other kindly and keep their promises.
At the end of their talk, Panama’s ambassador said that Panama cares a lot about its friendship with China and will tell his government about their conversation.
It’s like when friends have a disagreement but still want to stay friends and work things out! 😊
Reference(s):
China lodges solemn representation over Panama's withdrawal from BRI
cgtn.com
