Editor's Note:
Since the resumption of bilateral relations three years ago, both sides have been working with a sense of urgency to promote the development of China-Nicaragua friendly relations. Key agreements have been reached, including the joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between China and Nicaragua, which came into effect in 2024, marking a landmark achievement in bilateral cooperation.

With hopes of further deepening cooperation, Nicaragua sent a large delegation to the just-concluded 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, with 31 representatives of Nicaraguan companies, a record high. During the event, Global Times (GT) reporter Yin Yeping conducted an exclusive interview with Laureano Ortega Murillo (Ortega Murillo), Presidential Advisor of Nicaragua for the Promotion of Investment, Trade and International Cooperation, who shared his views on the importance of developing China-Nicaragua friendship.

A Chinese-made construction vehicle is lifted onto a ship at Tianjin Port, North China, on June 13, 2024. The ship is bound for Corinto Port, Nicaragua. Photo: VCG

GT: How do you view the opportunities of the Chinese market for Nicaragua?

Ortega Murillo: For Nicaragua, it's extremely important. We established diplomatic relations almost three years ago. Since then, we have had extraordinary results in the implementation of different projects and the signing of important documents. Last year, we signed the FTA with China. It's coming to execution this year. So now we are implementing the pact.

We have had very positive results of products from Nicaragua being exported to China, but we need to export much more. So, we need to establish the contacts between the new government companies, the Chinese companies, and the buyers or sellers. We need to establish more trust between them. We need to establish more joint work between the two sides.

The CIIE was very important for us and we expanded our presentations there. Last year, we had no representatives from the Nicaraguan companies. We only had the products. This year, we had 31 representatives of Nicaraguan companies. We will be coming back every year.

We understand the clear message from China to continue promoting the opening-up policy with the world. We consider it of great relevance and importance to Nicaragua, and we support all the initiatives that China proposed including the BRI, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative. We are now fully taking part in those initiatives.

We have established a direct line between Tianjin Port in China and Corinto Port in Nicaragua, which is a Pacific port. So we have this facility to promote more trade between our countries and we also need to let people know that they have this possibility.

GT: What are your expectations for further strengthening economic and trade cooperation between China and Nicaragua?

Ortega Murillo: This year, thanks to the FTA, we have managed to export important quantities of sugar, beef, coffee, sea cucumber, lobster, and shrimp to China. Until this October, we had exported $74 million of goods to China. It's a new and very important market for Nicaragua.

After signing the FTA, it took many years to get to know the market and explore more opportunities, and I believe it is going to be a very good trade result by the end of this year. We are convinced that through our participation in the CIIE, we will have an even bigger opportunity for next year to grow much larger numbers of exports, but also considering that we are here to learn more about the products that China can offer to Nicaragua.

There are several very strategic products we want to focus on for cooperation. For example, China has excellent fertilizers for agriculture and Nicaragua is mainly about agriculture, so we need these products. We're going to be setting up new projects in this field.

Also, we want to promote more investment from Chinese companies. Our government is fully open to Chinese investment. We are under the guidance of our president to facilitate everything we can do for Chinese businesses. For example, you can own 100 percent of a company in Nicaragua and invest in more production of coffee or sugar of any product, as well as develop infrastructure, which is very important for us. We have had some companies from China working in different fields such as agriculture, mining, and energy.

This year we began the construction of the new international airport for Nicaragua. This is also going to help with merchandising products and trade. The airport is expected to finish construction by 2028, and we are working with a Chinese company for this project.

We are developing many projects with Chinese companies including solar farms, wind farms, and hydro projects. We also have Chinese companies working in the mining sector. The gold export is very important for Nicaragua and we wish to make China the main recipient of these exports through Chinese investment. So the opportunities are there.

It's also important to understand that in every project we are executing with China, we wish to present Nicaragua as a regional platform. It will not be only for Nicaragua's economy. It will be for Central America's economy. Nicaragua is a strategic partner and a brother country of China. We share ideals and objectives in terms of promoting benefits for all the people in the world.

China for us is like a beacon of hope because it promotes cooperation that is beneficial to everyone based on respect and sovereignty of the nations, and promotes development for all the people in the world, especially for the countries of the Global South that have not had the opportunity to achieve full prosperity because of imperialism.

So, we are convinced that working with China is the way to the future.

Laureano Ortega Murillo Photo: Li Hao/GT

GT: How do you view the significance of the BRI for Nicaragua's development and for strengthening bilateral ties?

Ortega Murillo: We are part of the BRI and signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation on the BRI in January 2022. The changes that the BRI has brought to usare strategic. It's very important to be part of this, not only for Nicaragua but also for the world, as it promotes cooperation, trade, and investment across all regions in the world. We are also very interested in collaborating with Chinese companies through this initiative to secure financing for projects and are working on the settlement of the Chinese yuan. This is a win-win cooperation.

Many projects we are working on with Chinese companies are settled in yuan, including the building of airports and energy plants. We are convinced that we need to break the power of the US dollar so that we can have more equal treatment between all people and countries of the world and we understand the importance of strengthening the yuan to this end.

GT: Some critics in the West have argued that the BRI is a way for China to exert influence over participating countries and is creating a "debt trap." How would you respond to these claims?

Ortega Murillo: I think that's their mentality. The only way they have achieved their own development is through the submission of other people. We know that the US and Western allies create wars, and they are used to having the submission of other countries, so they can exploit their resources and own them as imperialists. But China doesn't work like this. China is cooperating based on respect and equal treatment with all the peoples in the world, including Nicaragua. We highly appreciate this.

This is why they feel threatened — they don't understand how China can achieve this. They cannot see it, either in their hearts or in their minds, this willingness to promote development and prosperity for everyone. They believe prosperity should be for a few, with the rest left to suffer. But China promotes prosperity for all.

GT: Some in the US often refer to Latin American countries, including Nicaragua, as "America's backyard." How do you respond to this?

Ortega Murillo: It's absolutely incorrect. It's an imperialist view because they think they own all of America. We are a proud country. We have a large history of defense, of our sovereignty, of our territorial integrity, of our right to develop under our conditions. And we are proud of this. We see our reflection also in China.

So this vision of the US seeing all of the rest of America as its "backyard," it's an echo of of the past. We have to work on the future with our brothers like China.