SAN JOSE (AFP) — Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu is scheduled to arrive in Costa Rica Tuesday for a three-day visit that includes a meeting with President Oscar Arias, who broke ties with Taiwan to recognize China last year, Arias' office said.
Before his talks with Arias, Hui will meet with parliament speaker Francisco Pacheco.
Hui will be accompanied by top officials from China's ministries of hydraulic resources, trade and foreign affairs, the Costa Rican foreign ministry said.
China promised to finance the construction of a new, 60-million-dollar stadium in Costa Rica after San Jose switched allegiance to Beijing last June, ending 63 years of relations with Taiwan.
The 35,000-capacity stadium will replace the National Stadium, which will be demolished.
Taiwan has seen its number of allies dwindle over the years as competition for supporters with rival China heats up. The two have been accused of using so-called "dollar diplomacy" to get nations to ally with them.
China's growing interest in Latin America also made the news Monday in Peru, where President Alan Garcia signed a mining rights contract with Aluminum Corporation of China, authorizing a 2.15 billion dollar investment in the Toromocho Project, a site believed to hold 1.526 millon tons in copper reserves.
The contract calls for China Development Bank and Peru's Chinalco Toromocho to provide 67 percent and 33 percent of the investment, respectively, officials said.
Under the terms of the contract, Aluminum Corporation will build Peru's biggest smelting plant with a predicted annual yield of 250,000 tons of copper and associated metals.
Over its estimated 32-year life expectancy, the mining project will create up to 10,000 jobs and boost Peru's overall copper production by 25 percent, according to Energy and Mining Ministry data.
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