China donated 100 buses to Nicaragua on Saturday, in a new installment of aid to the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, which faces U.S. and European sanctions for human rights violations. The public transport buses were delivered during a nighttime event in central Managua, led by the presidential couple and accompanied by music.
“This has been a donation from the government of the People’s Republic of China […] as part of a non-reimbursable aid package,” said Chinese ambassador Chen Xi during a speech. These donations “are not subject to any political conditions,” Chen added, noting that “several other projects […] are under consideration,” and that companies from both countries are cooperating.
In 2021, Ortega reestablished diplomatic relations with China after cutting ties with Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory. The Asian giant has since become Nicaragua’s key ally and largest donor. “Thanks to the Chinese people, thanks to the Chinese Communist Party […] and thanks to President Xi Jinping,” said Ortega in a speech lasting over an hour.
“The bus is used by working families,” added the co-president. Murillo told state media that “transport is a right.” Ortega also criticized the European Union’s role in the war between Russia and Ukraine, accusing the bloc of “arming” Kyiv. “The gene of Nazism is present in many Europeans,” he added.
About 200 people wearing white T-shirts printed with the image of the presidential couple attended the event. Ortega, a 79-year-old former guerrilla who first governed Nicaragua in the 1980s, is accused by critics and human rights organizations of establishing a “family dictatorship” alongside his 73-year-old wife Murillo.
The ceremony took place during the government’s commemoration of the 130th birthday of national hero Augusto C. Sandino (1895–1934). Nicaragua has been under U.S. and European sanctions since the violent crackdown on anti-government protests in 2018, which Managua claimed was a coup attempt backed by Washington.
