PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama's government will send a delegation of senior security and trade officials to China for talks beginning on Tuesday, the first such diplomatic mission since the two nations established relations nearly two months ago.
Panama's envoys will meet Chinese Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun, besides top Beijing security and migration officials, the Central American nation's information ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Trade talks will be held with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the statement added, aimed at boosting bilateral trade as well as "promoting Panama as a regional headquarters for Chinese banks (and) companies."
In June, Panama established diplomatic ties with China, breaking with self-ruled Taiwan in a major victory for Beijing, the second most important customer of its key shipping canal.
China and Taiwan have tried to poach each other's allies over the years, often dangling generous aid packages in front of developing nations, although Taipei struggles to compete with an increasingly powerful China.