The November 19-21 summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organization (APEC), which took place in Santiago, Chile, was the occasion for a major new Torrijos administration foreign policy initiative, even if the Panamanian president was not in attendance.
The gathering, the first of its kind to take place in Latin America, was dubbed a "CEO summit" rather than a meeting of heads of state to avoid any unwanted admissions by China. APEC includes both the People's Republic of China and Taiwan, the latter participating under the name "Chinese Taipei" so that the government in Beijing can maintain its position that the Republic of China on Taiwan is a rebel province of China rather than the separate country that in virtually every sense it is. The former British colony of Hong Kong, now a part of China but subject to a special political regime according to the treaty that restored Chinese sovereignty, also participates as an APEC member. The other members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru, Russia and Vietnam.
Although Panama is not a member, the Panama Canal Authority's (ACP's) top executive, Alberto Alemán Zubieta, was invited to participate because of the waterway's importance to the economies of the Pacific Rim countries. The summit chairman, Chilean banker Andrónico Luksic Craig, is also a member of the ACP's advisory board.
The next time APEC meets, it is likely that Panama will be a member. On her way to Chile President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines stopped in Panama for a visit with President Torrijos, who expressed Panama's desire to join the organization. Macapagal-Arroyo promised that her country would sponsor Panama's bid to join.
Under the Moscoso administration Panama negotiated a free trade agreement with Taiwan, began talks aimed at a similar deal with Singapore, and for the first time acknowledged that this country has an interest in the Caribbean region. However, Mireya's primordial foreign policy interests were Panama's integration with the Central American countries, ties with Colombia and relationship with the United States. Although she took a number of trips to Europe and maintained this country's close ties with Spain, most of Mireya's travel to the Old World appeared to be for the purpose of shopping rather than developing stronger relations with the European Union or its members.
Torrijos, by contrast, has quickly moved to restore Panama's historic close ties with South America, most prominently by smoothing troubled relations with Venezuela and by seeking Panama's membership in the MERCOSUR free trade bloc which includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. He also recently negotiated Panama's entry into the Group of Three --- now the Group of Four --- an economic alliance that includes Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela.
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