The US Embassy in Panama announced on the 11th that it will cooperate with the Panamanian government to remove 13 telecom towers installed by Huawei within the country as part of a broader effort to enhance national security. This initiative comes after Panama's withdrawal from China's Belt and Road Initiative in February and aims to counteract the "malicious influence" from the Chinese Communist Party.

According to various reports, this $8 million plan will be jointly executed by the US government and the Panamanian Ministry of Public Security. It involves replacing Huawei equipment at 13 strategic locations in Panama and constructing 9 new telecom towers to expand national coverage, with completion expected within two years. The US Embassy stated that this collaboration will empower Panama's security forces to manage their communication systems independently, thereby strengthening US-Panama relations and enhancing the ability to tackle cross-border crimes such as drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and human trafficking.

Additionally, the Panama City Council approved a new regulation at the end of April stipulating that future telecom equipment used in the city can only be procured from signatory countries of the Budapest Convention. This convention is the world's first transnational legal framework aimed at combating international cybercrime, which the Chinese government has not signed.