Chinese Keep Giving Away
Money To Costa Rica
Costa Rica and China
inked deals worth us$50
million dollars Tuesday
during a three-day visit
here by Chinese Vice
Premier Hui Liangyu
aimed at broadening
relations with San Jose.
Hui is the highest-level
Chinese official ever to
visit the country and
was due to meet with
President Oscar Arias as
well as Vice President
Laura Chinchilla and
other top leaders.
The accords include a
us$40 million-dollar
line of credit by China
for small and medium
size projects in Costa
Rica, following an
agreement between the
Banco Nacional de Costa
Rica and the China
Development Bank, as
well as Beijing's
donation of us$10
million dollars and 200
vehicles for Costa Rican
civil security.
Hui secured the deals
with various Costa Rican
ministers including
Foreign Minister Bruno
Stagno and Environment
Minister Roberto Dobles.
Economic and
agricultural cooperation
tops the agenda during
Hui's visit, along with
water resources,
judicial cooperation and
visa issues, and he was
due to sign cooperation
accords broadening the
bilateral relationship.
The two sides "will also
share opinions on other
common interests
including China-Latin
America relations,
United Nations reform,
the environment and
climate change, the (UN)
Security Council, as
well as the situations
in Taiwan and Tibet,"
Costa Rica's foreign
ministry said in a
statement.
China has also promised
to finance the
construction of the new
us$60 million dollar
stadium in Costa Rica
after the country
switched allegiance to
Beijing in June 2007,
ending 63 years of
relations with Taiwan.
The 35,000-capacity
stadium will replace the
Estadio Nacional,
located in the Sabana
park, which is to be
demolished.. |
