Commenting on Panama and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) establishing diplomatic ties, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) expressed regret, but said he was not surprised. Indeed, during the Ma administration, there were reports that Panama sought to set up ties with China, but that it was “declined” by Beijing.
As the Ma administration recognized the so-called “1992 consensus,” Beijing made concessions in public, while piling on the pressure behind the scenes, letting China’s Taiwan Affairs Office play the good guy to enhance its “united front” tactics.
