Archive for September 29th, 2008
Costa Rica hopes to export $15 billion by 2010
Monday, September 29th, 2008Costa Rica will not be able to export $18 billion in the year 2010, as had been expected. Now the goal is lower, $15 billion. This will be one of the most dramatic adjustments that the Government will have to handle in the definition of the goals of the National Development Plan. Planning Minister Roberto Gallardo blamed the undesired modification on a “change in the environment” resulting from the high prices of oil, recession in the United States, and the increase in the international market of basic grains.
Breast implants are up this year
Monday, September 29th, 2008The sales abroad of medical implants, including those used to enhance breasts and the ones that help lose weight, increased markedly this year’s first two quarters. Costa Rica exported $134 million worth of this type of implements from January through June. The amount is 452 percent higher than the one reported in the same period in 2007 ($24 million), according to data from the Promoter of Foreign Trade (PROCOMER in Spanish). The United States is the market for 65 percent of these exports. In addition, Allergan is investing $7 million in a new plant next to its current one in the Global Park Free Zone in Heredia. The firm is gradually closing its plant in Ireland and increasing the production of implants in Costa Rica
Chinese foreign minister meets Costa Rican counterpart on ties
Monday, September 29th, 2008Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met here Friday with his Costa Rican counterpart, Bruno Stagno Ugarte, to discuss relations between their two countries on the sidelines of the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Yang thanked the Costa Rican government for its support on Taiwan, Tibet and the Beijing Olympics, saying relevant departments in China are actively implementing consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, and are speeding up the process of implementing bilateral economic and trade cooperation projects.
Stagno, for his part, said Costa Rica would abide by its commitments made when it established full diplomatic ties with China and stands ready to further widen the areas of cooperation between the two sides so as to incessantly reinforce and deepen bilateral ties.
China and Costa Rica established full diplomatic relations on June 1, 2007.
Costa Rica restricts Chinese milk products due to health concerns
Monday, September 29th, 2008The San Jose government Saturday imposed restrictions on Chinese milk products in the midst of the scandal over China’s tainted milk. Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health and Commerce said it would monitor imports at customs and remove any milk products which could be suspicious.
“We are going to retire all the products of this type that we find in commerce. Nobody can sell any milk products” coming from China, said Minister of Health Maria Luisa Avila.
At least four Chinese infants have died as a result of consuming melamine-contaminated milk powder, while some 13,000 infants were hospitalized and 40,000 others experienced health problems, according to China’s health ministry and state media.
Import restrictions or outright bans have been put in place around the world, including Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, New Zealand, India, South Korea, Nepal, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Taiwan.
In 2007, internationally distributed toxic pet food and melamine- contaminated meat or wheat protein was traced to Chinese producers, and a food scare in Japan in early 2008 involved frozen dumplings imported from China.
Melamine is a toxic chemical used as a binding agent and coating for particle, fiber and laminated board. It is also used to make fertilizer.
Costa Rica opened diplmatic relations with China little more than a year ago.
