Costa Rica and China Recognize Advances in Relations

Costa Rica and China congratulated one another on progress in their five-year relationship, with the addition of several cooperation agreements during the visit to this country of Presidenta Laura Chinchilla.

The agreement to develop these connections transpired at a meeting held by the President of the Latin American country with Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, at the beginning of an activity where interviews with the leader of the Parliament, Wu Bangguo and Deputy President Xi Jinping were set to follow.

Chinchilla and the Chinese prime minister also agreed that this visit will greatly promote relations established on June 2007, the first between China and a Central American nation.

The meeting began with the holding of talks with President Hu Jintao on Thursday, followed by the signing of collaboration agreements in agriculture and health, and concluding with the donation of computers to the Costa Rican government.

Relative to the accords there is also an agreement on planned cooperation between the China Development Bank and the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, and a memorandum of understanding on air services.

In the first of these initiatives, the parties agreed to begin a relationship of strategic cooperation with a view to building a special economic zone in that country, for which it will collaborate in the creation of a team to study the project.

Another agreement between the National Oil Corporation of China and the Costa Rican Oil Refinery stipulate the development of personnel training at the latter.

In addition there is a memorandum of understanding for the co-organization of the VII Summit of China-Latin American Enterprise, to be held in San Jose next year.

Shanghai was the starting point for this one-week visit that according to both parties, will mark the beginning of a period of wider relations with the free commerce treaty as a highligh, signed on April 2010 and in force since August 2011.

According to the planned agenda, the final period of Chinchilla's stay in China will be on Saturday in Xi'An, the capital of Shaanxi province from where she will travel to South Korea, the other stop on her tour.