GUANGZHOU, China – A sprawling market floor in Guangzhou was once a prime location for shark fin, one of China's most expensive delicacies. But now it lies deserted, thanks to a ban from official banquet tables and a celebrity-driven ad campaign.
TAIPEI, Taiwan – Seven years ago, Costa Rican President Óscar Arias outraged Taiwanese officials by breaking diplomatic relations with the prosperous island nation and aligning Costa Rica instead with mainland China. Yet Costa Rica remains Taiwan’s largest Central American trading partner by far, with bilateral trade consistently outpacing the region’s other countries
HAVANA, Cuba – Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Cuba late Monday, officials said, the last stop on a Latin American tour that has stressed trade and aid more than ideology.
BRASILIA – Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed Thursday to create a $20 billion fund to finance infrastructure projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. The fund was announced at the end of a summit hosted by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff that marked the launch of the China-Latin America-Caribbean Forum.
The renegotiations targeted several legacy projects devised by previous National Liberation Party administrations, including former presidents Óscar Arias (1986-1990, 2006-2010) and Laura Chinchilla (2010-2014), including Route 32 and the stalled Moín oil refinery.
President Luis Guillermo Solís, representing Costa Rica as the president pro tempore of the regional organization, is set to meet with the presidents of China, Brazil and Chile during the week-long event in Brasilia.
Costa Rica's lawmakers agreed to postpone until Oct. 12 discussion of a $395 million loan from the government of China to finance the expansion and renovation of Route 32, the main access highway to the province of Limón.
News of Intel's decision to hire 300 more Ticos set the tone for much of the president's trip, but his interviews with international media also shed light on other topics at home, including relations with Nicaragua.
A serious national security problem is emerging in the Caribbean Basin, much neglected by Washington. Banging the final nail in the coffin of the Monroe Doctrine, Russia’s Vladimir Putin is joining China in building a trans-oceanic canal through Nicaragua, as well as a military supply facility.
