I will soon pay a state visit to the Republic of Panama at the kind invitation of President Juan Carlos Varela. It will be my first visit to the country, and the very first by a Chinese president. I look forward to this trip with great expectations.

Friendly interactions between the people of our countries could date back more than 160 years, when the first group of Chinese arrived in Panama to help with canal- and railway-building. On this hospitable land, they eventually stayed, became part of the local communities and joined the Panamanian people in pursuit of a better life.

In June last year, President Varela and I came to a significant political decision: China and Panama would formally establish diplomatic relations. For both our countries, this landmark decision will benefit not only this generation, but many more generations to come. During President Varela’s visit to China last year, Panama became the first country in Latin America and the Caribbean to sign a Belt and Road cooperation MOU with China.

Going forward, we will work tirelessly with Panama to enhance synergy between our development strategies and deliver greater benefits to the people of our countries.

Although our two countries are geographically far apart and are quite different in many of our national conditions, both the Chinese and Panamanians are hard-working, enterprising and aspiring peoples. We won’t be able to grow our relations without the commitment of our peoples. Let us seize the moment, give play to our late starter’s advantage, speed up the growth of our bilateral ties, put our cooperation on a steady and sustained course, and jointly contribute to a brighter future and a more prosperous world.