Large scale anti-Chinese episodes in 1941 and 1951 led to many local Chinese being stripped of their Panamanian citizenship, and Chinese were banned from practicing in the profitable retail trade, which severely restricted their economic clout.
一九四一年及五一年，巴拿馬兩度發生大規模的排華事件，許多華人被剝奪巴拿馬國籍，獲利不錯的零售業也不准華人經營，華僑社會的經濟實力大受影響。