JALAC was privileged to have the Honorable Ambassador of Panama to Japan,
Mr. Ritter Diaz, as Guest Speaker at the conference entitled,
“Panama：Building a Global Business Platform to serve the World”, held at
Inter-American Development Bank Asian Office (IADB), April 25, 2015. JALAC
is pleased to share the excellent PPT presentation, prepared in English.
After reviewing the recent strong economic performance of Panama (one of
the highest growth rates registered in the LAC region), Ambassador Diaz
explained in some details major factors attributable to the success, such
as the country’s increasing role not only as a global financial
inter-mediation center but also a transshipment and logistics hub between
continents and within the Americas. Mr. Ｄｉａｚ also spoke on future prospects
of the Panamanian economy, by touching on a wide range of topics from
business to education, including the Government Five-Year Investment Plan
2015-2019, a new legal framework for investments known as “Multinational
Headquarters (SEM)”, the development of the Colon Free Zone, the ongoing
expansion of the Panama Canal, the Academic City “Ciudad de saber”, among
others.
During a very lively “Q&A” session, the Ambassador kindly responded to all
the questions from the floor. Questions included: additional water
requirements in the aftermath of the Canal expansion; effects of the recent
droughtｓ; possible rivalry with the Canal of Nicaragua; opportunities in
tourism in general and eco-tourism in particular; and possible comparisons
between Panama and Singapore as a global financial and service hub.
【Lecture Handout】(PDF) Click Here
