Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Panama Ex-President Martinelli Arrested in Florida Amid Spying Allegations
Panama’s exiled former president was arrested in Florida late Monday after being accused of political espionage by his successor in the Central American nation.
Ricardo Martinelli was detained near his home in Coral Gables and was being held at the Federal Detention Center in Miami, U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Barry Golden told NBC News.Martinelli served as head of state from 2009-2014. He was expected to appear before a federal judge Tuesday for an extradition hearing, according to Golden. The request to arrest Martinelli was made though Interpol and he is not facing any U.S. charges, officials said.
Source: NBC News
Panama Cuts Ties With Taiwan, Opts To Support China Instead
Panama has announced that it is cutting ties with Taiwan and instead establishing relations with China. The shift is a major win for China as it seeks to isolate Taiwan, which now has diplomatic relations with just 20 countries.
China and Panama announced the move in a joint statement, saying it was in the “interest and wishes of both peoples.” The two countries agreed to exchange ambassadors.
“The Government of the Republic of Panama recognizes that there is only one China in the world, the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory,” the statement reads.
Source: NPR
Geisha Coffee Wins International Tasting Competition In “The Best of Panama”
Geisha continues to dominate among the best coffee in the world by getting 94.1 points out of 100, at an international coffee tasting known as “The Best of Panama” held in Boquete Chiriquí. The goal of the competition is to identify the best beans in the country before an electronic auction that takes place in July.
The international coffee tasting competition began on Wednesday and went on until Saturday. A total of 17 judges from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia and the United States had the task of examining 76 lots of beans of the particular varieties geisha and pacarama, as well as traditional coffees.
Acan-Efe Daniel Peterson said “2017 has been a great year. We are extremely happy with the score of the natural geisha, which despite the complexity of this coffee, with fruity flavors, jasmine, are all very complex attributes”. He also noted that the production was faced with climatic challenges, which nevertheless did not dent the bean, whose quality was “recognized and rewarded” by the judges.
Source: PTY Life
Panama Cuts Ties With Taiwan, Builds New Relationship With China
In a move that was shocking to some, and expected by many, Panama officially opened diplomatic relations with China this week, effectively ending more than a half-century of partnership with Taiwan. The move comes as Panama’s President Juan Carlos Varela looks to boost the country’s economy through stronger trade and manufacturing partnerships, with China as the golden goose.
Varela and his government made it a point to stress that they are fully on board with China’s political policy regarding Taiwan, a move that shocked and angered both Panama’s Taiwanese community as well as many in Taiwan itself. In a statement made during a press conference involving both China and Panama, Varela stated:
“The Government of the Republic of Panama recognizes that there is only one China in the world, the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory.”
Source: International Relocation Firm Blog
