The first visit of Hu Jintao, president of the PRC, to Central America was marked by a strict operational security and a complex ritual of protocol. The president, 65, arrived yesterday to the country at 3.27 pm in a Boeing 747 airline Air China, from Washington.
China's President Hu Jintao and his wife
The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica said that signing an agreement on cooperation in science and will define the participation of Costa Rica in the Shanghai 2010 World Expo.
Oscar Arias and Hu Jintao are also expected to announce soon the establishment of the Confucius Institute at the University of Costa Rica (UCR).
Costa Rica is a country of weight in the Central American region and an important cooperative partner of China in this region. I am confident that with the meticulous arrangements of President Oscar Arias and his government, this visit will achieve the goal of deepening friendship, increasing mutual trust, expanding cooperation and joint endeavors of development.
It is also envisaged that the Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo RECOPE (Costa Rican Oil Grinding) realized an investment partnership with the state National Oil Corporation of China (CNPC), to improve the capacity of processing oil in Costa Rica and the possible construction of a new refinery to export finished products. Another agreement signed by the Bank of Costa Rica with the Development Bank of China, which will offer a line of credit in an amount still under reserve.
At 4.30 p.m. leave the country bound for Cuba. On Monday the operational security in the capital will be increased as expected protest movements by groups who oppose the Chinese government in Costa Rica.
Hence, during the visit of Hu Jintao, president of China, the two nations to back the revival of diplomatic relations.
We are confident that it will serve to revive diplomatic relations between the two peoples, which at one point wanted to be affected by political reasons. We are very satisfied until this time, because we perceive that our country is viewed in a positive way by Costa Ricans," said the official Chinese in relation to the controversy unleashed in the country by selling bonds and the construction of the National Stadium of Costa Rica.
