High-speed train plan follows tracks of history

China's latest proposal to help build Panama's railways is a proposed high-speed line connecting the country's capital with the western province of Chiriqui, which borders Costa Rica.

China's involvement in Panamanian railroads goes back more than 160 years to the many Chinese workers who were hired to help build the interoceanic railroad starting in 1849, before the Panama Canal was built to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Just five months after the establishment of diplomatic ties in June last year, the two countries signed a collaboration memorandum to promote cooperation in technology and enhance the role of China's financial institutions in Panama's rail network, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner.