The Chinese government has ordered state-owned enterprises and private companies to suspend new Chinese investments in Panama until “conditions allow.” Commercial relations between Panama and China will never be the same after this announcement, which was released in response to a Panama court ruling last week that adversely impacted one of China’s primary port operators in the country. This is the most notable strain in relations between China and Panama since diplomatic ties were established and formalized in 2017.

Analysts around the world were quick to react to the news, which was announced late last week. Panama is considered one of the most important hubs for international trade due to its geographic location and the extensive financial and logistics services that operate within its borders. Chinese investment in Panama has totaled multiple billions of dollars in the country over the last decade, furthering diplomatic relations and becoming a major player in many of Panama’s development projects.

The dispute originated after Panama’s Supreme Court of Justice handed down a ruling last week that impacted several concessions held by one of China’s largest port operating conglomerates in the province of Colon, Panama. According to officials in China, the ruling “violates legal certainty” and sets a precedent that could discourage future Chinese investments in Panama, if the “business environment becomes too unpredictable.” Chinese foreign policy officials have publicly stated their disappointment in the decision, citing that recent court rulings put investments at risk because of the ambiguity surrounding Panama’s legal system.

China initially entered the Panamanian market to expand opportunities south of the United States. The country gained access to one of the most important shipping lanes in the world through the Panama Canal. Additionally, Panama’s robust logistics network and telecommunication services made it an easy target for Chinese investment, with projects ranging from port operation to energy and tech development quickly after diplomatic recognition in 2017. China became Panama’s second-biggest trading partner within just a few years.

Projects Suspended

The executive order suspends Chinese investments in Panama, not only in bids on infrastructure projects, but also in strategic agreements being discussed in areas such as:

• Logistics: Expansion of port capacity. China has been directly involved in Panama’s port modernization plans for several years, with a focus on increasing capacity to handle projected traffic through the Panama Canal and larger transshipment projects.
• Energy: Electricity generation and transmission projects where Chinese investors were expected to play a role.
• Technology: Development of smart cities, including data centers and telecoms initiatives.

The suspension of Chinese investments in Panama is particularly detrimental to these areas, as they require long-term planning and often take years to secure financing. This creates a conundrum for Panama as it now questions how rapidly it can replace lost Chinese capital, if at all.

Immediate Damage to Panama’s Economy

While the Chinese investment freeze in Panama is set to last an indefinite amount of time, it’s important to note that Panama’s economy could be damaged in the short term.

• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): China has been one of the largest consumers of services at the Panama Canal in recent years. China is also deeply integrated into Panama’s efforts to expand its free trade zones and port infrastructure. Any slowdown in FDI can cause foreign investors to reconsider Panama’s business landscape.
• Judicial Reputation: There is an irony to the dispute. On one hand, Panama’s judiciary is considered one of the most reliable in Latin America and upholds its decisions with autonomy. Foreign investors want that kind of stability. But, as China has publicized, there is a fine line between stability and unpredictability that can turn investors away from property rights and contract law.
• Employment: Large-scale infrastructure development will come to a halt until the investment suspension in Panama is lifted. This means construction jobs, engineering consultancies, and other service providers who cater to large project developers could see slowdowns.

China Wants What Comes Next to be Clear-Cut

With globalization at an all-time high, the suspension of Chinese investments in Panama is yet another example of how China wields its economic strength as “soft power.” This power allows China to influence business decisions to be more favorable to Chinese companies operating in foreign countries. It’s unlikely that China will completely pull out of Panama, but it wants to send a message that its investors need to be taken more seriously.

The ball is now in Panama’s court. Will it stand up for the independence of its judicial system, or cave to pressure from one of its largest trading partners? This situation is far from unique. China has had similar issues with Latin American countries trying to exercise their judicial power over Chinese companies operating in their territories.

Only time will tell how this trade dispute unfolds. In the meantime, diplomatic talks are already taking place at the cabinet level to negotiate some form of common ground. World markets are waiting with bated breath. After all, what happens in Panama could set the precedent for how world powers interact with local laws enforced by Latin American countries.

The Dominican Republic keeps pace as a prime investment destination

After nearly doubling foreign direct investment inflows during the past half-decade, foreign investment in the Dominican Republic reached record highs last year. In addition to setting a new annual record for the fourth year in a row, Dominican foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks reached US$5,032.3 billion in 2025, Central Bank data shows. That’s nearly 97% higher than in 2020.

This growth indicates that foreign investment in the Dominican Republic is on solid footing and is not just part of a cyclical recovery or driven by volatile capital flows. Thanks to macroeconomic stability, attractive policies, and a commitment to long-term planning, the Dominican Republic continues to distinguish itself as one of the most dynamic and reliable FDI destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“This year’s historic figures are not merely numbers. They are confidence signals, bets on the future, proof of long-term vision, and the result of a strategic positioning that projects stability, competitiveness, and openness to the world,” said Biviana Riveiro Disla, Executive Director of Dominican Republic Export and Investment Center (ProDominicana).

As demonstrated by strong results over the past five years, continuity in policies and institutions is vital to attracting foreign investment to the Dominican Republic. Sound fiscal and monetary policies have been supported by regulatory reforms to improve the rule of law for investors and strengthen public-private coordination. Together, these policies have helped cement the country’s reputation as a place where investors can count on stable business conditions, clear rules and processes, and access to regional and international markets.

The Dominican Republic: a diversified destination for foreign investment

Tourism continues to be the main beneficiary of foreign direct investment in the Dominican Republic, accounting for 26.3% of the total. The sector has proven particularly attractive to foreign investors thanks to its robust infrastructure, brand awareness, and ability to win high-value and sustainable tourism projects.

Foreign investment in energy projects placed second with 23.8%, buoyed by power generation and renewable energy investment. Commercial real estate investment amounted to 15.7% of the total, supported by continued demand for residential and mixed-use projects. Commerce attracted 10.5% of foreign capital, while free trade zones captured 8.7%. Mining represented 6.7% of foreign investment directed to the Dominican Republic; financial services made up 3.4%, and the remaining sectors comprised the final 4.9%.

FDI is a driver of the Dominican economy

Investment plays a multiplier effect across Dominican industries. “It integrates the country into global value chains, contributing to export growth, job creation, economic resilience, and the transfer of technology and knowledge,” said Riveiro. Productivity, job skills, and competitiveness are strengthened across sectors as investment is filtered through the economy.

Employment created by FDI is often high-quality and supports auxiliary local businesses. Additionally, foreign companies often bring international know-how related to management practices, innovation, and sustainable production. For these reasons and more, investment is key to fostering shared prosperity in cities and provinces across the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic Opens Doors for Investors with ProDominicana

ProDominicana has been at the forefront of the Dominican Republic’s efforts to attract and retain foreign investors. By focusing on targeted sectors, prospecting in key markets, and offering personalized services to investors, the agency has laid the groundwork for investment in the Dominican Republic to reach record levels.

Over the last few years, ProDominicana has conducted more than 350 promotion events spanning more than 60 countries. The agency has worked to raise awareness of the Dominican Republic as an investment destination across continents.

Not only has ProDominicana strengthened the country’s brand abroad, but it has also partnered with public and private organizations to improve processes at home. By collaborating with government agencies to strengthen the Single Investment Window, ProDominicana has simplified more than 41 procedures undertaken by investors across 26 institutions.

Efforts to attract and retain investors are ongoing

ProDominicana has undertaken several initiatives with the goal of continuing the Dominican Republic’s streak of FDI records. The Investment Guide, which is available in 10 languages, serves to make information on investing in the Dominican Republic accessible to interested parties around the world.

More recently, ProDominicana has led the creation of Guidelines for the Foreign Direct Investment Attraction and Expansion Plan 2025–2036. Outlining the next decade’s strategy for foreign investment in the Dominican Republic, the plan sets a roadmap for not only attracting new investors to the country, but also retaining and expanding existing investors.

With a focus on encouraging reinvestment and greater linkages to the local economy, foreign investors can expect the Dominican Republic to improve upon its efforts to be a convenient and rewarding place to do business.

Exports reach US$15,930.6 billion; up 14.4%

Aligned with record-setting foreign investment levels, Dominican exports continued their historic expansion in 2025. Total exports were valued at US$15,930.6 billion, an annual increase of 14.4%. Gold, cocoa beans, unmanufactured tobacco, medical instruments and devices, plastic products, Portland cement, bananas, electric circuit breakers, and coffee all experienced expanded export totals in 2025.

Foreign investment sets the stage for continued growth

“The Dominican Republic continues its journey towards consolidating itself as a safe destination to invest, produce, and export, with clear long-term visions,” Riveiro concluded. Looking ahead, foreign investment in the Dominican Republic will continue to support economic growth and Dominican exporters.

In what has been highlighted by the government as “one of the great milestones” of Ecuador’s trade diversification policy, negotiations have been technically concluded for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the United Arab Emirates. The agreement, widely regarded as the most complete tool to promote Ecuadorian exports, attracts investment and opens doors in economies with high purchasing power. The trade agreement between Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates will give the South American nation preferential access to one of the Middle East’s fastest-growing and strategically located economies.

Announcement of Trade Agreement Closure Reached Between Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates

The South American nation’s efforts to promote greater openness and diversification through trade policy scored a coup with the recent announcement of the technical closing of negotiations for a trade agreement between Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates. Signed by President Daniel Noboa, the communication officially detailed the successful conclusion of discussions aimed at strengthening Ecuador’s external agenda, diversifying its exports, and opening new markets to Ecuadorian producers across all sectors of the economy.

Trade Agreement Signed Between Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates at WGS 2026

The trade agreement between Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates was announced at WGS 2026 (World Governments Summit), the Dubai forum that brings together leaders, policymakers, experts, and representatives of the private sector from around the world. The agreement was jointly announced by Ecuador’s Minister of Production, Foreign Trade and Investments, Luis Alberto Jaramillo, and his United Arab Emirates counterpart, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, during the event.

Framework and strategic scope of the trade agreement between Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates

Geostrategically located and endowed with high purchasing power, the Middle East also represents one of the fastest-growing regions in the world and a point of convergence for global logistics and trade routes. The Emirates, therefore, occupy a gateway position to markets in the GCC region, Asia, and Africa, with exceptional connectivity and access conditions for Ecuadorian products that seek to insert themselves into these and other markets internationally.

Negotiations between Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates were completed ahead of schedule

The negotiation of this new Ecuador trade agreement concluded successfully in less than a year, with both countries achieving technical closure of negotiations after several months of intense work by teams on 19 different negotiation disciplines, as follows: market access for goods; rules of origin; trade in services; investment; protection of intellectual property; government procurement; sanitary and phytosanitary measures; technical barriers to trade; and economic cooperation.

Ratification process

With the technical closing, both countries will initiate their respective internal procedures for signing and ratification according to their constitutional requirements. Once complied with, the agreement enters into force and becomes binding, beginning to generate benefits for exporters and investors, as well as consumers in both countries.

Reduction and exemptions from tariffs for Ecuador’s exports to the United Arab Emirates

With this CEPA, 75% of Ecuador’s exportable goods to the United Arab Emirates will benefit from zero percent tariffs when entering the UAE market. Added value: 98% of Ecuador’s exports under negotiation will be covered by tariff preferences from day one of the entry into force of the agreement.

Impact on Ecuadorian exports

CEPA will cover more than 4,000 Ecuadorian products, both agricultural and industrial. Fresh roses, cocoa beans, prepared tuna, copper ore and concentrates, metal waste and scrap, sawn tropical wood (including balsa, virola, and imbuía), and wood panels are just some of the Ecuadorian exports that will benefit from zero tariffs upon entry into force of the Agreement.

Facilitation for industry and growth sectors in Ecuador

The gradual tariff dismantling agreed upon by Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates will be up to ten years for certain products. This will allow productive sectors such as livestock, aquaculture, agri-food industry, manufactures, textiles, footwear, and other finished goods such as furniture, auto parts, machinery, and equipment to grow and strengthen in Ecuador before facing greater external competition. This long-term approach seeks to maximize the benefits for sectors that produce under the agreement.

Non-oil exports as leaders in Ecuador’s exports with zero tariff

Products such as shrimp, fresh roses, bananas, and frozen vegetables, among others, are part of Ecuador’s main non-oil exports. The immediate duty-free access they will have to the United Arab Emirates market as of the entry into force of the CEPA is expected to boost exports of these goods and diversify the destinations and products that Ecuador sells to the rest of the world.

Trade Promotion Ecuador – United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

The Agreement Between Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates for the Promotion of Trade (CEPA, for its acronym in English) is projected to boost bilateral trade in goods substantially over the coming years. During the 2020-2024 period, Ecuador exported USD 1.368 billion to its eastern partner. If, under the Agreement, Ecuador reaches sales of up to USD 1 billion a year to the UAE market by 2030, that would represent an expansion of exports to that country by more than 60%, with more diversified exports.

Bilateral Investment Treaty Ecuador United Arab Emirates (“BIT”)

This advance complements the work being done on the Bilateral Investment Treaty between Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates, signed in December 2025 and currently subject to constitutional review. BIT protects investors and legal certainty, improving the rules of the game for foreign direct investment (FDI). While the CEPA facilitates exports and diversification, the BIT offers investment incentives that may stimulate interest from Emirati investors in sectors such as infrastructure, renewable energy, logistics, agribusiness, manufacturing, and others.

Patagonia once again found itself at the center of one of those debates that mix foreign investment with natural resources and decisions with high political impact. Recently, national authorities began speaking openly about an economic policy matrix that places no restrictions on the sale of lands: Patagonia is open to foreign investment. After that announcement, a businessman of Qatari origin acquired nearly 10,000 hectares with a project that includes luxury hotels and three hydroelectric plants, not to supply power to cities or villages, but exclusively for the facilities themselves.

Portrayed as an energy transition and ecodollar, this project would still be harmful enough to awaken criticism from environmental groups, neighbors, university scientists, and technicians from water and land conservation sectors. Despite their small size compared to the mega-dams built throughout Patagonia in the 20th century, their mere installation in an intact ecosystem of such high value reopened in southern Argentina an unresolved debate: Who owns water? Under what conditions can we intervene in practically virgin territories?

Why is Patagonia Important?

It is worth remembering that Patagonia’s Andean watershed basins are some of the country’s most biodiverse regions, and certainly within the Southern Cone. In those basins are temperate forests native to the place, wetlands known as mallines, unique species of flora and fauna, and rivers whose watersheds store water from rainfall, melting snow in summer, and glacier retreat: everything is connected and works together, regulating water availability, biological diversity, and territorial climates at a watershed level.

Even projects considered to have low impact, experts point out, can cause irreversible consequences when development reaches a certain point.

Changing water regimes, disturbing sediment flow or vegetation patterns can affect fish reproduction downstream, alter water availability, or disconnect wildlife migration routes, among countless other examples. In Patagonia in particular, where flora and fauna have formed and exist today with minimal human intervention and very sparse populations, sensitivity to disturbance could be even greater than in other areas of the country.

For these reasons, concern has arisen over the approval of projects merely because Patagonia is open to foreign investment, regardless of whether they meet basic requirements to ensure that ecosystems will not be altered.

In this sense, the controversy surrounding hydroelectricity is only partly about the buildings themselves. The discomfort is mainly with the type of development model that facilities such as tourist resorts, country clubs, and private lodges portend. Activity of this nature generally requires new infrastructure such as access roads, leveling of hills and slopes, systems for retaining water on flat surfaces, trenches, bridges, and sewage treatment plants. Year after year, these transformations irreversibly alter territories that until very recently were beyond the intensive real estate speculation that unfortunately already affects many places in Argentina.

National Politics Also Factor

Locally, this dispute takes place on a background painted by Argentina’s national government and its management style. Javier Milei’s administration seeks to advance quickly with deregulation policies in several areas. In Patagonia, the Executive is rescuing a project to review a law passed more than ten years ago that regulates the sale of rural properties to foreigners.

That legislation established maximum limits so that no one could acquire unlimited hectares in Argentine territory. This restrictive scenario was applied especially to lands near watersheds, border areas, and food production plots.

According to their own words, officials seek to attract investments, boost development in areas that for decades have been defined as non-productive due to scarce populations, and accelerate productive works that bring resources and activity because Patagonia is open to foreign investment. They justify reviewing limitations to defend entrepreneurship and accuse past governments of committing “capitalist suicide.”

However, voices raised in defense of those restrictions are multiple and powerful. Environmental NGOs, scientists, technical university teams, indigenous peoples, and identities rooted in territory have all shown their disagreement with dismantling the country’s remaining barriers to large-scale foreignization of land.

It is not just about land. Ownership of large rural properties in Patagonia is the doorway to controlling water resources, to mining permits, to hunting tourism, or other business involving native flora and fauna. All assets that once privatized (and possibly exported) become very difficult to monitor and regulate by the State.

Official Direction: A Point of View Worth Considering

The problem with the official discourse is that talking about encouraging investments does not seem to be accompanied by strategies to think about Patagonia in long-term scenarios. For instance, droughts are more recurrent than ever before, devastating wildfires affect forests and open new conflicts around water use each year. All are strongly linked to climate change and pressure on ecosystems.

Facilitating investments in rural land is, according to opponents to the official line, just another message that runs counter to any prevention principle or goal of public goods conservation.

Environmental impact studies are accelerated. Large projects advance as of today without consultation or participation from local communities. Flexibilization rules were announced even before discussions could begin about how the country should approach Patagonia: as a natural reserve whose care the State must guarantee, or as merchandise totally open to global markets.

This is not Just About Patagonia

Beyond specific interests in a business project located on Patagonian hectares, broader issues are at play. The transition to renewable energies, the intense pressure exerted on nature by human activity and appetite for capital dubbed “green” are impacting the debate on development models around the world.

Hydropower is touted as clean energy: true, false, or something in between depends on where, how, and for what purpose it is generated. If those same megawatts will simply provide power to a private tourist facility, can it be considered energy for the common good?

For young people who are increasingly aware of climate and environmental issues, all of the above is much more than what happens with an investor from Qatar or three hydroelectric plants in Patagonia. What is at stake is the development model Argentina will choose for decades to come: unrestricted opening of its territory or sovereignty over land, water, and biodiversity coupled with productive growth.

Government representatives stated that during this period in office, they have managed to phase-out of fuel subsidies, stabilize the exchange rate, control inflation, and reactivate the private sector.

January closed with Bolivia’s participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos and the International Economic Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by CAF in Panama. At both events, the Government showcased that the country has embarked on an accelerated economic shift and that this change is already being recognized by the main international financial institutions as part of the broader Bolivian economic reform process.

In fact, this past week in Panama, the administration of President Rodrigo Paz welcomed recent signals from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which highlighted the speed with which the first steps toward structural adjustments were executed.

The Minister of Economy, José Gabriel Espinoza, stated that the IMF had initially expected the adjustment and stabilization process to take up to two years, but Bolivia managed to implement key measures “in just 11 weeks,” which is the amount of time the Paz administration has been in office.

Espinoza participated in Davos, where he held meetings with IMF authorities, and later reinforced those discussions in Panama, where he accompanied President Rodrigo Paz at the CAF-organized forum.

“We are doing things that the Fund believed could be done in one to two years, in barely two months,” the minister said. Among these measures, he mentioned the removal of fuel subsidies, exchange rate stabilization, inflation control, and the reactivation of the private sector, all without major social unrest. These actions, he emphasized, form the backbone of the Bolivian economic reform process currently underway.

That assessment was shared in Davos by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, who described the Bolivian government’s efforts as “impressive” and confirmed that the institution will support the process “at every stage.”

For the Executive Branch, this statement carries particular political weight, since during the 20 years of MAS rule, the IMF was excluded from the economic debate and portrayed as incompatible with the statist model applied in the country.

Re-engagement with the international community

The Paz administration interprets this support as a sign that Bolivia is beginning to emerge from the international isolation that, according to the president himself, characterized the country in recent years.

This perception was reinforced by Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo, who was tasked with reactivating channels of engagement that, in his view, had been neglected due to the ideological approach of the previous government.

“We have brought Bolivia back to the world in this space. And a no less important aspect is the set of bilateral meetings that have taken place,” Aramayo noted.

Assessments

The absence of neighboring heads of state at the Bicentennial events in August 2025 is cited by the Executive as a symbolic example of that political and diplomatic distancing.

Against this backdrop, Davos and Panama were used as platforms to reposition the country. Espinoza summarized that journey with a phrase rich in political symbolism: “from Davos to Potosí, from Potosí to Panama,” he emphasized.

The reference to Potosí points to a key domestic decision: the return of dollars to the financial system and to depositors, a measure aimed at restoring confidence after the currency crisis.

Confidence, markets, and country risk

The Government argues that the speed of the adjustments has already begun to be reflected in financial indicators. Espinoza stated that country risk has fallen below 600 basis points, a level not seen since the onset of the so-called financial “corralito.”

Beyond the technical data, the Executive presents this as a political signal: markets are once again paying attention to Bolivia after years of distrust.

“The key word is confidence,” the minister insisted, explaining that the goal is to reduce risk perception in order to attract foreign investment and reactivate domestic investment. This renewed credibility, he added, strengthens the Bolivian economic reform process in the eyes of global investors.

In his assessment, Bolivia is becoming relevant again not only because of its natural resources—minerals, gas, and agribusiness—but also due to its strategic location at the heart of South America, with the potential to connect logistical chains between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

More financing

Another political pillar of the official message is the redefinition of the State’s role. After a period in which the public sector came to control nearly 80% of economic activity, the Government now proposes a State that facilitates and catalyzes private investment.

Espinoza emphasized that the resources announced by CAF and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) should not be understood as traditional debt, but rather as financing aimed at public-private partnerships and strengthening the private sector.

In Panama, the minister also introduced the concept of a “country portfolio,” an approach designed to move beyond the sector-based logic of the past and integrate mining, energy, infrastructure, and agribusiness into a unified strategy to link Bolivia to global value chains.

A message to the past and the future

The political reading the Government draws from its participation in Davos and Panama is straightforward: Bolivia is seeking to distance itself from the MAS economic model and demonstrate that the country can implement deep adjustments within unprecedented timeframes.

IMF backing, emphasizing the speed of the process—11 weeks instead of two years—thus becomes one of the Executive’s main arguments to claim that the country is at a turning point.

The challenge, the Government admits, will be sustaining this pace through legislative reforms, political stability, and tangible results. The message Bolivia delivered to the world is clear: the adjustment has already begun, it has been swift, and according to the IMF, it is moving faster than expected.