The Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the
Government of the Republic of Panama and the hereinafter
referred to as “ the Parties ”,

WHEREAS the Parties, on the principles of equality and
reciprocity, intend to promote cooperation between the national
immigration agencies of both countries;

WHEREAS the Parties are concerned about immigration issues and
transnational crimes, in particular human trafficking
prevention;

AND WHEREAS the Parties hope to facilitate the exchange of
information and cooperation;

Have agreed to the following:

ARTICLE 1
COMPETENT AUTHORITIES
1. The competent authorities designated for the implementation
of this Agreement are:
a) The National Immigration Agency of the Ministry of the
Interior of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and
b) The National Migration Service of the Ministry of Public
Security of the Republic of Panama.
2. The Parties shall, in accordance with this Agreement and
their respective domestic laws, engage in cooperation related
to immigration affairs in order to prevent and combat illegal
immigration, human-trafficking and transnational crimes.

ARTICLE 2
SCOPE OF COOPERATION

The Parties shall cooperate in the following areas:
1. Exchange of anti-terrorist intelligence and information
related to the prevention of human trafficking and illegal
immigration;
2. Exchange of skills related to border control measures;
3. Cooperation between immigration agencies;
4. Training programs for immigration officers;
5. Participation in training seminars of the other Party; and
6. Other areas of cooperation as agreed upon by the Parties.

ARTICLE 3
REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION
1. Requests for information shall be made in writing. In the
event that a situation is urgent and the requested Party
gives its consent, the request for information may be made in
some other form but shall be confirmed in writing within ten
(10) days after the request is made.
2. The written request shall include the following content:
a) Name of the department making the request;
b) Purpose of the request;
c) Details of the request;
d) Summary of the case; and
e) Other information necessary for fulfilling the request.
3. In the event that a request cannot be fulfilled due to
inadequate information contained in the request, the
requesting Party must provide additional information.

ARTICLE 4
REQUEST FULFILLMENT

The Parties shall take necessary measures to ensure that a
request can be quickly and safely fulfilled.

ARTICLE 5
DENIAL OF REQUEST
1. The requested Party may deny a request under the following
conditions:
a) The request is beyond the scope of cooperation under this
Agreement;
b) The request contradicts the domestic laws of the requested
Party;
c) The granting of the request would disrupt the public order
of the requested Party;
d) The granting of the request would contradict the good
practices of the requested Party; or
e) The granting of the request would adversely affect public
security.
2. When denying a request, the requested Party shall inform the
requesting Party and provide a written explanation.

ARTICLE 6
CONFIDENTIALITY

The Parties shall ensure that mutually provided information,
documents, and personal data are kept confidential. In the event
that the use of the information is restricted, that the
information provided needs to be used for a purpose other than
the original requested use, or that the information needs to be
shared with a third party, the consent of the Party that
provided the information shall be obtained in advance.

ARTICLE 7
EXPENSES
1. The expenses needed for personnel training and seminars as
stated in subparagraph 4 and 5 of Article 2 shall be paid as
agreed by the Parties through consultations conducted on a
case by case basis.
2. General expenses incurred by a Party in fulfilling a request
made by the other Party in accordance with this Agreement
shall be covered by the requested Party unless otherwise
agreed upon by the Parties. Should a request involve extra
expenses, the Parties shall enter consultations beforehand to
affirm the conditions of the request and the defrayment of
the expenses.

ARTICLE 8
LANGUAGES

The Parties shall use English to communicate when engaging in
cooperation in accordance with this Agreement.

ARTICLE 9
MEETINGS AND CONSULTATIONS

The Parties may hold meetings or conduct consultations in order
to discuss and improve cooperation to be carried out in
accordance with this Agreement.

ARTICLE 10
SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES

Disputes arising from the application of this Agreement shall be
settled as soon as possible by the Parties through
consultations.

ARTICLE 11
ENTER INTO FORCE, TERMINATION AND AMENDMENTS
1. This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of the
signature by the Parties. Either Party may terminate this
Agreement by giving the other Party written notice thirty
(30) days in advance.
2. This Agreement may be amended with the mutual agreement of
the Parties

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being duly authorized by
their respective governments, have signed this Agreement.

Done in duplicate in Panama City on the 27th day of June of
2016, in the Chinese, Spanish and English languages, with all
texts being equally authentic. In case of divergence in the
interpretation of this Agreement, the English text shall
prevail.


FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE
THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA REPUBLIC OF PANAMA
(TAIWAN)
________________________ ______________________________
DAVID TAWEI LEE ISABEL DE SAINT MALO DE ALVARADO

Minister of Foreign Affairs Vice President of the Republic
and Minister of Foreign Affairs