Panama Urges UN Dialogue to Ease China Canal Tensions at 15-Member Security Council
Updated
Updated · South China Morning Post · May 26
Panama Urges UN Dialogue to Ease China Canal Tensions at 15-Member Security Council
2 articles · Updated · South China Morning Post · May 26
Javier Martinez-Acha used Panama’s UN Security Council address to press for dialogue and “bridge-building” as friction with China over the Panama Canal has intensified.
At the 15-member council, the foreign minister cast dialogue as “the highest form of trust” in diplomacy and peaceful dispute settlement, framing the speech as an effort to lower bilateral tensions.
Martinez-Acha also defended “useful multilateralism,” saying the UN should be judged less by resolutions passed than by its ability to prevent conflicts, protect lives and deliver concrete answers.
The appeal underscores Panama’s effort to shift a canal dispute with China away from escalation and toward a broader diplomatic track at the UN.
Amid a US-China port showdown, can diplomacy save the Panama Canal from becoming the next global flashpoint?
With a $2 billion arbitration looming, who will pay the price for Panama's high-stakes takeover of its canal ports?