China has summoned the Panamanian ambassador to complain about the country’s decision to pull out of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Assistant foreign minister Zhao Zhiyuan said on Friday that Beijing “deeply” regretted the decision, according to the foreign ministry.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said he had given the required 90-day notice of withdrawal, asking: “What are the great things that this Belt and Road Initiative has brought to the country?”
The decision came just days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Mulino and expressed concern about China’s influence over the Panama Canal.