The Chinese government on Wednesday announced it would fund the construction of a National Police Academy in Costa Rica. The announcement was made during an official visit to China by Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla.
The academy will be located in the Caribbean canton of Pococí, and investment could reach $25 million. The donation is similar to the construction of Costa Rica’s National Stadium – a $100 million gift from China – in which a Chinese company will build the facility, and once completed, it will be officially donated to the Public Security Ministry.
On the second day of her Asia tour, Chinchilla expressed her gratitude to China, saying the construction “is something we’ve long waited for and is now one of the results of this visit.”
The president also visited an industrial park in Suzhou City to study its business model and assess whether it can be adapted to Costa Rica.
Special Economic Zones have been an integral part of China’s economic model to maintain high growth rates in recent decades, and Chinchilla highlighted her government’s interest in replicating the model.
“We came to Suzhou to learn, to take the most successful ideas you have and use them as an example of what we can do,” she said.
Chinchilla will visit South Korea next week.
