China has summoned the Panamanian ambassador to complain about the country's decision to pull out of the Belt and Road Initiative. Assistant foreign minister Zhao Zhiyuan said on Friday that Beijing "deeply" regretted the decision,

China says it opposes the U.S.'s attempts to "smear and sabotage" the Belt and Road Initiative after Panama announced its exit from the program. Panama became the first Latin American country to leave China's global infrastructure development project.