SAN JOSE, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Relations between Costa Rica and China will be strengthened thanks to the upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Latin American country, said Foreign Minister Enrique Castillo.
"For us, the fact that Costa Rica has had the opportunity to twice host the president of the People's Republic of China, shows the importance that China gives to its ties with a small country, which makes us pleased, proud and grateful for the acknowledgement," he told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Xi will travel to Costa Rica from Trinidad and Tobago for a state visit on Sunday, before visiting Mexico and meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in the United States later next week.
The Chinese president is scheduled to hold talks with his Costa Rican counterpart Laura Chinchilla, visit the Legislative Assembly and meet with a farming family, Castillo said.
With Xi's visit, Costa Rica hopes to make concrete progress towards the building of a joint oil refinery along its Caribbean coast, the extension of a highway between San Jose and eastern city of Limon and the construction of a new headquarter building for the National School of Police, the minister said.
China has been a "generous partner," Castillo said, citing the multiple projects in which the Asian giant has cooperated with Costa Rica. It is also a "business partner" with which Costa Rica has launched numerous mutually beneficial initiatives, he added.
"At the cultural level, we have also been receiving China's support for the teaching of Mandarin through the Confucius Institute, which has been working very well for several years now. At the cultural level, we are also very satisfied," Castillo said.
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