Mulino Asia Tour: Panama’s President Plans Six Accords in Singapore, Then Vietnam
POLITICS · PANAMA
Key Facts
- —The country Panama, home of the canal and the world’s largest ship registry, wants more Asian trade and investment to pass through its ports and airport.
- —What happened On 1 October 2026 the presidency announced that President José Raúl Mulino will visit Singapore and Vietnam from 4 to 8 October, TVN and La Prensa reported.
- —Who is involved The foreign minister, the canal affairs minister, the agriculture minister and the head of Tocumen International Airport travel with him, according to Telemetro and La Prensa.
- —What it means for you Shipping, aviation and farm exporters may gain new government contacts. Six planned Singapore accords cover air services, carbon credits, semiconductors and maritime logistics.
- —Still open The texts of the accords, any investment figures and who runs the government during the trip had not been published as of 1 October.
The Mulino Asia tour starts on Sunday 4 October, when Panama’s president lands in Singapore. He then moves on to Vietnam and is due back in Panama on Thursday 8 October.
The government’s goal is to sell Panama as the main logistics gateway into Latin America for Asian firms. In Singapore alone, officials plan to sign six bilateral agreements, three outlets reported on 1 October.
Six accords planned in Singapore
In Singapore, Mulino is scheduled to meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. TVN, Telemetro, La Prensa and the Spanish news agency EFE all list the same meetings.
The six planned accords cover the exchange of carbon credits, Panama’s national semiconductor strategy and air services. The others concern maritime logistics, the merchant marine and a broader text on bilateral relations.
Singapore runs one of Asia’s busiest container ports, and Panama runs the canal and a large ship registry. Shipping is therefore the natural common ground for the two governments.
Shipping firms and a business forum in Vietnam
The Vietnam leg of the Mulino Asia tour begins on 6 October with meetings with shipping and maritime companies, Telemetro reported. Talks with the National Assembly and government authorities follow on 7 October.
TVN and EFE say Mulino will meet Vietnam’s leader, Tô Lâm. Planned cooperation covers security, agriculture, maritime education, tourism and maritime transport.
A Panama–Vietnam business forum titled “Connecting Markets, Creating Opportunities” is expected to draw more than 70 executives. Panama’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (CCIAP) plans an agreement with its Vietnamese counterpart, VCCI.
Who travels with the president
First Lady Maricel Cohen de Mulino and Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha join the trip. So do Canal Affairs Minister José Ramón Icaza and Agricultural Development Minister Roberto Linares.
José Ruiz, general manager of Tocumen International Airport, completes the delegation, Telemetro and La Prensa reported. His presence fits the planned air services accord with Singapore.
What the trip can and cannot deliver
La Prensa counts this as Mulino’s 31st official trip abroad. In September he pitched the canal’s investment plan in New York, covered in Panama Pitches a US$8.5 Billion Canal Plan to Citi and 26 Investors.
The Mulino Asia tour is set to yield framework accords, which open doors but do not bring money by themselves. Their value will show only if companies follow with routes, cargo or projects, which none of the outlets has quantified.
For wider context on the canal, the economy and politics, see Panama Explained: The Canal, the Economy, the Politics and What to Watch.
What Is Not Yet Known
The full texts of the six Singapore accords and the Vietnam agreements have not been released. No investment or trade targets were attached to the trip as of 1 October.
The official reports did not say who will run the government during the president’s absence. EFE places the business forum on Wednesday 7 October, the same day as the National Assembly talks.
Sources: TVN, 1 Oct 2026 · Telemetro, 1 Oct 2026 · La Prensa, 1 Oct 2026 · EFE via Swissinfo, 1 Oct 2026
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