Panama is confident about renewing a maritime shipping agreement with China, despite political pressure from the United States and recent diplomatic friction.

• The agreement, which offers preferential port tariffs for Panamanian-flagged ships in China, expires at the end of this year.
• Key figures include Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who met recently to discuss the situation.
• Tensions arose after a court ruling in Panama cancelled the concession for a subsidiary of Hong Kong firm Hutchinson to operate two ports in the Panama Canal, leading to intensified Chinese controls on Panamanian vessels.