In response to mounting pressure, including the U.S. ultimatum, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino announced that his government would immediately cut ties with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, officially known as the Silk Road Project. Mulino declared the agreement would not be renewed, signaling a pivot away from Beijing’s influence.
This move comes amid heightened U.S.-China tensions, as Washington seeks to secure control of critical infrastructure in the region.
