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Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.

Panama sees no change in ties with Taiwan or China

Panama does not expect any change in its relations with Taiwan or China, a senior official from the isthmus nation said on Friday, despite increased pressure from Beijing on Taiwan’s allies to sever ties.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen will visit Latin America next month, against a tense backdrop after news of her phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump angered China earlier this month. Panama is one of Taiwan’s oldest friends but some diplomats in Beijing have said the Central American country could become the next nation to break ties.
“Relations with Taiwan are good, in excellent condition as always,” Panama’s Deputy Foreign Minister Luis Miguel Hincapie said in an interview. “They’ve been a cooperative partner of Panama for many years, and will continue to be so.”

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Panama looks to talks with France to get off tax haven list

Panama said Tuesday it will hold talks with France in the coming days, after Paris confirmed the Central American country was back on its blacklist of tax havens because of the Panama Papers leak.

The discussions were to highlight progress Panama has made in boosting transparency and cooperation in tax matters, Panama’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
France’s economy ministry confirmed that it was following through with an April decree putting Panama back on its blacklist following the Panama Papers revelations. The country had previously been removed from the list in 2012.

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Documenting The Panama Canal Expansion, One Photo At A Time

When the Panama Canal expansion was completed last year, tens of thousands of Panamanians celebrated the accomplishment at a huge ceremony at the Canal. And Panama praised it as a major step toward growth, and a continued homage to the power of the original project.

The expansion represented economic opportunities for Panama — in the form of tolls collected from increased shipping. It also created an opportunity for national pride. It’s also the reason that Port Miami has been expanded, in order for the post-Panamax ships to be able to dock here.

Photographer Andrew Kaufman has been documenting the entire process.
And all those years of work in Panama have gone into a book of photography called The Isthmus. WLRN’s Luis Hernandez recently spoke with Kauffman about why he spent more than a decade traveling back and forth to Panama to photograph this moment in Panama’s history.

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El Valle, Panama: An oasis of outdoor adventure and fun! (Part 1)

If you’re planning a visit to Panama, or if you want to relocate or retire to Panama, you must check out El Valle de Anton. Commonly referred to as simple “El Valle”, or “The Valley” in English, this small mountain town in Panama’s central highlands is the perfect mountain getaway for people of all ages, tastes, and budgets. Here’s a snippet from our latest blog post.

Check out the “El Macho” waterfall and trails. Just a few minutes from the center of town, you’ll find a small set of rustic booths and parking lot on the side of the road. This is the entrance to El Macho, and the canopy trails that surround it. Signs are well marked from the main road in town, so it’s easy to find. Don’t let the simple entrance fool you, though. Once you’ve paid the $5 entrance fee (or $25-$35 guided tour fee) at the booth, you can access the gorgeous forest canopy trail for as long as you like.

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