Photo:Screenshot from the Chinese Embassy in Panama

The Chinese Embassy in Panama on Wednesday slammed the US envoy's instigation of Panamanian lawmakers to join an anti-China clique, calling the action "despicable."

Multiple Panamanian lawmakers joined the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international coalition of legislators from various countries formed in 2020 that claimed to counter the influence of China. The participation came with the help from the US Embassy, Newsroom Panama reported Tuesday local time.

The announcement was made during an event at the National Assembly, attended by US ambassador to Panama Kevin Cabrera. During his remarks, Cabrera claimed that Panama's membership in IPAC reinforces shared values such as democracy and freedom.

The US' "IPAC" spreads lies and rumors about China everywhere and has no credibility at all. The US Ambassador to Panama has instigated certain Panamanian lawmakers to join this "alliance" and tie them to the US anti-China chariot, which is despicable, the Chinese Embassy in Panama said in a spokesperson's statement released on Wednesday Beijing time.

Pan Deng, director of the Latin American and Caribbean Region Law Center at the China University of Political Science and Law, said the recent developments stand as another evidence of US coercion on Panama and interference in its relations with China.

Pan told the Global Times the internal politics of Panama suggest the country's struggle to maintain autonomy amid the US' hegemonic bullying. It is hoped that the majority of Panamanian politicians will learn lessons from history, maintain their autonomy in diplomacy and handle China ties based on win-win cooperation rather than bias.

The Chinese embassy spokesperson said that China-Panama relations are beneficial to both countries and their peoples and have won broad support from all sectors of Panamanian society, according to the embassy. The Panamanian Parliament is the country's highest legislative body, and its members are representatives of the people's will and interests.

It is believed that the Panamanian Parliament and the vast majority of its members will keep their eyes open, prioritize national dignity and people's interests, maintain independence and autonomy in foreign relations, and avoid becoming pawns serving the US' geopolitical self-interests.

Pan noted that the IPAC has nothing to do with democracy or human rights, as it has been nothing more than an anti-China clique and a US-led geopolitical tool from the very beginning. Seeking expansion and international attention, the clique is not pursuing the values it boasts for, but disrupts normal international cooperation and creates divisions and tension, the expert said.