President Varela appoints Chief Negotiator for the FTA between Panama and the People's Republic of China

PANAMA CITY, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Panama's President, Juan Carlos Varela, appointed Mr. Alberto Alemán Arias as Chief Negotiator for the negotiations of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the People's Republic of China.

Alemán will be in charge of coordinating the actions and strategies that the country will present in these negotiations, while liaising with the public and private sectors. He will also direct the negotiating team assigned to this process.

The appointment of Alemán puts the finishing touch to the Panamanian team made up of professionals from the Ministry of Commerce with vast experience in commercial negotiations, who represented Panama in the preparation of the feasibility study prior to the negotiations. The team is currently preparing for launching the process.

"Panama's primary interest in signing an FTA with China is to encourage foreign investment, to become a distribution center for Chinese industries in the region and to boost Panamanian exports to the Asian market," said the Minister of Commerce, Augusto Arosemena.

Alberto Alemán currently holds the position of director of Panama's Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Exports (Proinvex). He also lead the creation, development and implementation of the Global Center of Excellence (CGdE) of supply chains, the first of its kind in the Americas.

He previously held the position of Business Development Manager at London & Regional Panamá, S.A. - master developer of the Panama Pacifico Special Economic Area, and Chief of Staff and Political Advisor on Economic and Financial Affairs at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Panama to the United Nations in New York, United States.

SOURCE Government of Panama