After Bulldozing Chinese Monument, Panama Panics; China Puts Forward Two Demands, Insisting on Severe Punishment for Responsible Parties
Did the Alajuela Municipal Government of Panama, which violently demolished the monument at the China-Panama Park without the consent of the Chinese community, act on the orders of the United States? Why did the Panamanian government panic and order the immediate restoration of the monument to Chinese immigrants in its original location right after the Chinese Embassy in Panama voiced its protest?
The Demolition Site
According to reports from Xinhua News Agency and other media outlets on December 19, in the dead of night on the 27th local time, the Alajuela Municipal Government of Panama brazenly demolished the China-Panama Park and the Monument Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of Chinese Immigrants’ Arrival in Panama. The move was carried out without any prior notice or communication with Chinese community organizations, and in defiance of the unanimous opposition from overseas Chinese representatives present at the scene.
This monument bears witness to the century-long contributions of the Chinese people to Panama, embodies the blood and tears of Chinese laborers over 171 years, and stands as a symbol of the friendship between the Chinese and Panamanian peoples.
The actions of the Alajuela Municipal Government were malicious both in procedure and morality. To safeguard the preservation of the park, Chinese community organizations had engaged in repeated communications with the municipal government since 2024. Upon learning of the potential demolition in 2025, they even offered to fund the monument’s renovation.
The goodwill of the Chinese Embassy in Panama, which expressed its willingness to provide support for the renovation work, was similarly ignored. In the end, the demolition was carried out late at night during year-end festivals when vigilance was low, and without any prior notification.
After the incident, the Alajuela Municipal Government defended its action as a "technical consideration" based on "structural safety hazards" and the need to "protect public safety".
However, for a public memorial that was completed in 2004 and has since become a national landmark and cultural symbol, the municipal government failed to produce any credible professional inspection reports, rendering its claims hollow and unconvincing.
Historically, on March 30, 1854, the first group of 705 Chinese laborers arrived in Panama after enduring untold hardships. They contributed their lives and blood to the construction of the vital Panama Isthmus Railway, and their descendants went on to help shape modern Panama alongside people of other ethnic groups.
In recognition of this, the Panamanian government designated March 30 as "Chinese Day" in 2004. The China-Panama Park and its monument serve as physical testaments to this history. The act of the Alajuela Municipal Government has inflicted far greater harm than the mere destruction of a structure.
Some speculate that the Alajuela Municipal Government’s move was carried out under orders from the United States. But a more plausible scenario is that certain Panamanian officials, eager to demonstrate their loyalty to the U.S., took it upon themselves to demolish the Chinese monument.
Just hours after the incident broke out, a dramatic turnaround occurred. The Chinese Embassy in Panama issued a statement with unprecedentedly strong wording, denouncing the act as a "crude trampling" on the feelings of the Chinese people and a "severe harm" to China-Panama friendship.
In terms of its content, the statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in Panama ranks among the harshest diplomatic pronouncements made by China in recent years.
The statement employed three weighty phrases—"extreme shock, strong indignation, and resolute opposition"—and put forward two clear demands: "a thorough investigation and punishment of those responsible for the act" and "the restoration of the China-Panama Park and the Chinese monument at their original sites", setting a bottom line for the subsequent resolution of the issue.
Ambassador Xu Xueyuan of the Chinese Embassy in Panama rushed to the scene to inspect the damage at the earliest opportunity. The Chinese community in Panama also received extensive solidarity from ethnic Chinese around the world, as well as support from various sectors within Panama.
Faced with this situation, the Panamanian central government realized that the reckless actions of the Alajuela Municipal Government had not only plunged Panama into a diplomatic crisis but also triggered domestic unrest.
In response, the Panamanian Presidential Palace issued an urgent announcement on the 28th local time, explicitly opposing the demolition and ordering the immediate restoration of the monument at its original location.
With the situation having unfolded to this point, two key issues demand our attention: first, whether the Panamanian government will fulfill its commitment to restore the monument and the China-Panama Park; second, whether it will conduct a thorough investigation and punish those responsible. If it attempts to muddle through the issue, it will certainly not be forgiven by the Chinese side and the Chinese community in Panama.
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