PH, Panama eye Indo-Pacific–Latin America connectivity
The Philippines and Panama are moving to deepen maritime and economic cooperation, seeking to leverage their strategic locations and complementary shipping strengths to build stronger links between the Indo-Pacific and Latin America.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro and Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez discussed expanded cooperation during a bilateral meeting in Manila on July 25, marking the first official visit to the Philippines by a high-level Panamanian official in decades.
The visit puts the spotlight on a relationship with a particularly strong maritime connection: Panama operates the world’s largest ship registry, while the Philippines is one of the world’s leading sources of maritime professionals.
Panama currently ranks second among flags of registry employing Filipino seafarers, underscoring the importance of Filipino maritime workers to its shipping industry.
“As maritime nations with highly complementary strengths, Panama — home to the world’s largest ship registry — and the Philippines — one of the world’s foremost sources of highly skilled maritime professionals—underscored the importance of deepening cooperation in maritime affairs, including maritime education and training, capacity building, and the development of globally competitive maritime professionals,” Lazaro said.
The two foreign ministers also recognized the importance of maritime education in protecting the safety and welfare of seafarers.
Beyond shipping, Manila and Panama agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade and investments, disaster management, culture and tourism, ocean governance, maritime education, training and capacity building.
Leveraging their geographic positions, the two countries also see themselves as potential hubs connecting the Indo-Pacific with the Americas, particularly Latin America, and facilitating greater flows of trade, investment, innovation and people across the two regions.
“We reaffirm our commitment to enhancing bilateral relations into a more dynamic and future-oriented partnership anchored on maritime cooperation, economic resilience, and inter-regional connectivity,” Lazaro said.
The two sides also reaffirmed their commitment to a rules-based international order, respect for international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which Lazaro described as “the foundation for peace, maritime security, freedom of navigation, and sustainable development.”
Lazaro and Martínez-Acha also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Academic Cooperation, establishing a framework for collaboration between the two countries’ diplomatic institutes.
“We also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Academic Cooperation, reaffirming our commitment to advancing human capital development, knowledge exchange, and enhanced people-to-people connectivity as key pillars of the Philippines-Panama partnership,” Lazaro said.
The officials also called for stronger ASEAN–Latin America engagement through increased dialogue and practical cooperation on shared regional and global challenges.
Martínez-Acha’s Manila visit immediately followed his participation in the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia under the Philippines’ ASEAN chairmanship.
The Philippines and Panama formally established diplomatic relations on Sept. 28, 1973. What began as friendly diplomatic ties more than five decades ago is increasingly expanding into practical cooperation centered on shipping, trade, education and connectivity between Southeast Asia and Latin America.
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