Chinese Community Monument in Panama Dismantled Overnight... China Strongly Protests

Removed by City Hall Citing Safety Concerns

Amid ongoing tensions between the United States and China over the Panama Canal, the Chinese government has strongly protested after a monument commemorating the Chinese community in Panama was dismantled during the night.

On June 13, 2017 (local time), a monument commemorating Chinese settlement was installed in Arraijan, Panama. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to a statement posted on December 29 (local time) by the Chinese Embassy in Panama on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the "150th Anniversary of Chinese Settlement" monument, which had been installed in the Americas Bridge Observatory area near the Panama Canal, was removed during nighttime work on December 27.

This monument, symbolizing the friendly relationship between Panama and China and honoring the contributions of the Chinese community in Panama, was installed in 2004. The Arraijan City Hall explained that the removal was based on safety concerns and stated that there was no intention to damage or deny the cultural heritage of the Chinese community in Panama. However, the local daily La Prensa reported that there had been no prior consultation with the Chinese side, which had aimed for technical reinforcement of the monument.

The Chinese side immediately expressed strong opposition. Xu Shuyuan, Chinese Ambassador to Panama, who visited the removal site in person, said, "This is a great wound to the friendship between the two countries and an insult to the 300,000 people of Chinese descent in Panama." Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, also stated, "China strongly condemns the removal of the Chinese monument by the local government of Panama and has lodged a protest with the Panamanian side."

Jose Raul Mulino, President of Panama, criticized the decision made by the mayor of Arraijan. President Mulino wrote on X, "The barbaric act of the Arraijan mayor in dismantling the monument to the Chinese community at the Americas Bridge cannot be justified for any reason," adding that he would explore the possibility of restoring the monument through a historical heritage program.

Geopolitical tensions between the United States and China have persisted in Panama since before the inauguration of Donald Trump's second administration in January of this year. President Trump claimed that "the Panama Canal has fallen under Chinese influence" and said he would seek to reclaim control of the canal, which was transferred to Panama through a bilateral treaty in 1999. This remark was interpreted as a reference to CK Hutchison Holdings, a Hong Kong-based company operating two out of the five ports in the Panama Canal. Although CK Hutchison is a private company unrelated to Chinese authorities, it previously decided to sell its canal operation rights to a US-based asset management firm.

The United States is the main user of the 80-kilometer-long Panama Canal, which handles about 5% of global maritime trade. According to the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024), US vessels accounted for 157.06 million tons passing through the canal, followed by China (45.04 million tons), Japan (33.73 million tons), and South Korea (19.66 million tons).