China and Costa Rica Dialogue on Expanding Economic Ties

President Laura Chinchilla called for greater economic links between Costa Rica and China, in talks with Han Zheng, mayor of Shanghai, where she is serving the first part of her week-long official visit to this nation.


Costa Rica hopes to expand cooperation with the city in investment, trade, clean energy and tourism, the president told her host, highlighting the geographical position and human resources of her country.

She also promised to improve visa policy to attract more visitors from China, according to official reports of the talks, which were preceded by a meeting with representatives from local businesses.

Chinchilla will today (Tuesday) to Suzhou, in eastern Jiangsu province, where she will visit an industrial park and meet with executives of the facility, according to the agenda.

Then she will travel to Beijing on Wednesday to participate in a business forum and the following day be received by her Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, to be followed by a ceremony for signing cooperation agreements.



On Friday she will meet with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, the leader of this nation's parliament, Wu Bangguo, and Vice President Xi Jinping.

The final stage of her stay in China will begin Saturday in Xian, capital of Shaanxi province, from where she will travel to South Korea, the other stop on this tour.

Since June 1, 2007 Costa Rica became the first Central American country to develop diplomatic relations with China.

These links include a visit here by then President Oscar Arias in October 2007, reciprocated by Hu in November 2008, to which was added the signing of a free trade agreement in April 2010, effective August 1, 2011.