Top 10 Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s Relations With China: A Closer Look

On May 6, Costa Rican Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno made an official visit to China, the first such visit after Costa Rica shifted its allegiance from Taiwan to the PRC last year, in line with many other nations and the UN.

Given the upcoming construction of the new National Stadium in Parque Sabana, funded by China’s government, its easy to see why Costa Rica would want to align itself with the eastern giant instead of its rogue island holdout.

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Here’s a taste of what’s in the cards for Costa Rica:

1. 200 police cars
2. 40 scholarships
3. A credit line for small businesses
4. A possible free trade agreement
5. A new, modern $72M National Stadium in San Jose to seat 35,000
6. Chinese-directed public works projects
7. Cooperation to triple Costa Rica’s oil refinery capacity and improving quality
8. Offshore oil exploration possibilities

Of course China’s not in this for charity. Here’s what’s in it for them:

1. Further recognition on the world stage by a country well known for human rights and democracy and with a temporary seat in the UN Security Council
2. Showing the remaining 23 countries that recognize Taiwan the direct benefits of aligning with the PRC
3. Using Costa Rica as a transit point for import/export of textiles and other products to the United States tariff-free under CAFTA
4. Easing restrictions for Chinese tourists and immigrants

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Britney Spears visits Costa Rica as guest of Mel Gibson

The tabloids have their long-lenses trained on Costa Rica once again this weekend, as Mel Gibson flies in with a special celebrity guest: Britney Spears.

The troubled pop singer arrived in Costa Rica Thursday, along with Gibson and his wife, Robin, who are two of Costa Rica’s highest-profile property owners. Ms. Spears’ father was the fourth person in the group.

Gibson reportedly befriended Ms. Spears earlier this year, as the two used to be neighbors in California. Ms. Spears, who became famous at the tender age of 16 with her song “. . . . Baby One More Time,” has kept herself in the headlines recently with a divorce, drug abuse, an inadvisable shaved head and the loss of a custody battle for her two children to ex-husband Kevin Federline.

Gibson is said to have reached out to her during her darkest hours, and is now hosting her in his recently-acquired beach home in Playa Barrigona, near Sámara on the south Guanacaste coast.

The group took a private jet from the United States to San Jose’s Juan Santamaría airport, for a connection to Carrillo airport.

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