Xi in Panama: Chinese president’s visit to US backyard tells Washington two can play influence game

After his high-stakes meeting with Donald Trump next week to defuse trade tensions, President Xi Jinping will head for America’s backyard in a visit that may cause unease in Washington.

In a trip that observers said would underline Beijing’s efforts to cement ties with Latin America, Xi will make a state visit to the Central American nation of Panama at the start of next month, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.

The visit, which was confirmed by Panama, would be the first by a senior figure from Beijing since Panama officially cut ties with Taipei and established a formal alliance with Beijing in June last year.

Xi is expected to meet his counterpart Juan Carlos Varela in Panama City, where the two will witness the signing of about 20 agreements to cooperate in areas such as commerce, technology and infrastructure during the “unprecedented visit” from December 2-3, the Panamanian president’s office said.

Xi’s visit is to begin a day after his highly anticipated evening dinner meeting with Trump on December 1, following the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. The world’s two largest economies, now locked in an escalating tariff war, seek to calm tensions that have spilled over from their contest for geopolitical influence.

Chinese vice-minister of foreign affairs Qin Gang said on Friday that Xi’s visit would reaffirm Beijing’s engagement with Latin American countries. Qin also said cooperation between China and the continent would “not change” even though some Latin American countries faced rising challenges in an unstable global environment.