Diplomatic ties established with Costa Rica

Beijing yesterday announced the establishment of diplomatic relations with Costa Rica, a former ally of Taiwan in Latin America, and urged other nations in the region which do not have diplomatic ties with China to follow suit.

"In accordance with the interests and aspirations of the peoples of the two countries", the two governments "agree to establish diplomatic ties at ambassadorial level beginning June 1, 2007", according to a joint communiqu signed that day by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Costa Rican counterpart Bruno Stagno Ugarte in Beijing.

"The Costa Rican government recognizes that there is only one China and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole China. Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory," it says.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu welcomed the development.

"This shows that the one China principle is widely accepted by the international community," Jiang told a regular press conference yesterday, and called on other nations without diplomatic relations with Beijing to make the right choice by establishing ties.

China stands ready to establish normal state relations with those countries based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, she said, adding that the Taiwan question is the only obstacle.

In San Jose, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias said: "For Costa Rica this is an act of foreign policy realism that promotes links to Asia... It is my responsibility to recognize a global player as important as the People's Republic of China."

Arias said his decision was based on the strong trade relationships between the two nations.

Bilateral trade reached $2.156 billion in 2006, an increase of 87.3 percent over 2005. Costa Rica's exports to China were valued $558 million in 2006, a year-on-year rise of 132 percent.

Costa Rica is the 169th country to establish diplomatic relations with China. Twenty-four states recognize Taiwan, mostly small nations in the Americas, Africa and the South Pacific.

Chinese experts believe the Costa Rican move could influence other nations in Central and Latin America that maintain relations with Taiwan.

Xu Shicheng, a Latin America expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the establishment of formal ties between China and Costa Rica will probably have a "domino effect".

Latin American countries will gradually realize China's fast growth and recognize that friendly ties with China are the predominant policy in the international community, Xu said.

With a population of 4.16 million and GDP exceeding $18 billion, Costa Rica is a significant nation in Central America, Xu said, adding it had "significant influence" on other Latin American countries. "More Latin American countries such as Nicaragua and Panama will reconsider their relationships with Taiwan," Xu said.

Source: China Daily/Xinhua