Some 80 business leaders from China and Panama gathered Monday for a forum in Panama City's financial district to explore bilateral business opportunities.
The event, co-organized by Panama's Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (CCIAP), the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Chinese government, came a little over a month since the two countries established diplomatic ties.
Wang Weihua, charge d'affaires at China's embassy in Panama, told the gathering that he hoped the forum will lead to new trade and investment cooperation between the two nations and to greater mutual understanding through increased exchanges.
China is the second-biggest client of the Panama Canal, after the United States, and the top supplier of goods to Panama's Colon duty-free zone, one of the world's largest, noted Wang.
The president of the CCPIT, Jiang Zengwei, who presided over the forum, said, "We are willing to increase cooperation and create new opportunities through platforms, with the help of companies from the two nations."
Attending the forum were Chinese business leaders from a variety of sectors including infrastructure, energy, trade, tourism, transport and logistics, and finance.
The delegation said it planned to visit the duty-free zone of Colon following the forum.
CCIAP's president, Inocencio Galindo, highlighted that establishing diplomatic ties with China opened the door to a market of 1.3 billion people, potentially boosting both exports and imports, and attracting more investment, especially in the fields of technology, and transport and logistics.
Panama is China's largest trade partner in Central America, with some 30 Chinese companies operating in the country.
