ISTANBUL

China on Monday urged Panama to investigate what Beijing described as the “forced demolition” of a monument commemorating the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Chinese people in the Central American nation.

“China is seriously dissatisfied with the forced demolitions conducted by relevant local authorities in Panama, and has made stern representations to the Panamanian side,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference in Beijing.

According to the Beijing-based daily Global Times, Lin made the remarks in connection to the China-Panama Friendship Park and the monument commemorating the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Chinese people in Panama, which were demolished on Saturday night.

“The act of forcible demolition is extremely egregious in nature, seriously hurting the feelings of the many overseas Chinese in Panama and running counter to the overall China–Panama friendship,” said Lin.

He urged the Panamanian side to “conduct thorough investigation into the incident and rectify the erroneous acts of relevant local authorities at an early date.”

According to the Chinese daily, the 20-year concession for the monument had expired, and the Arraijan municipality “did not respond to the Chinese Association of Panama's requests to renovate it.”

The Chinese embassy in Panama also expressed “extreme shock, strong indignation, and firm opposition” to the demolition, saying it was carried out “without any prior notice or communication with the Chinese community.”

“The move not only brutally trampled on the collective sentiments of the 300,000 Chinese nationals and people of Chinese descent in Panama, but also severely harmed the friendly feelings of the Chinese people toward the Panamanian people,” according to a statement by the Chinese embassy.