Xinhua Headlines: Important opportunity for deeper Nicaragua-China cooperation as ties resume

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-- China and Nicaragua resumed diplomatic ties last week, a move largely perceived by both sides as an opportunity for two likeminded countries to enhance bilateral cooperation for the wellbeing of their people.

-- According to a joint communique signed on Friday, the two countries agreed to develop friendly ties on the basis of the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality, mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence.

-- Nicaraguans from various walks of life believe resuming ties with China is a positive move that improves Nicaragua's development prospects.

-- On Sunday, the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China arrived at the Augusto C. Sandino International Airport in Managua, and was warmly welcomed by a Nicaraguan delegation with a ceremony.

MEXICO CITY, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- China and Nicaragua resumed diplomatic ties last week, a move largely perceived by both sides as an opportunity for two likeminded countries to enhance bilateral cooperation for the wellbeing of their people.

According to a joint communique signed on Friday, the two countries agreed to develop friendly ties on the basis of the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality, mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence.

China and Nicaragua sign the joint communique on the resumption of diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Nicaragua in north China's Tianjin, Dec. 10, 2021. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

Nicaraguan officials and ordinary people alike believe the decision has opened up important opportunities for the Central American nation, not least greater involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative and other China-led projects for global development.

BROAD WELCOME

Nicaraguans from various walks of life believe resuming ties with China is a positive move that improves Nicaragua's development prospects.

A woman sells bread on a street in Masaya Department, Nicaragua, Dec. 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

"The agreements that can be carried out will really benefit Nicaragua's industrial sector," said Marco Antonio Perez, an 81-year-old merchant selling shoes at a crafts market in capital Managua.

"There will be commercial exchanges, and the two countries will see growth in their economies because there will be more work," Perez told Xinhua.

His remarks were echoed by Manuel Espinoza, a retiree, who said the resumption of diplomatic ties will "inject more movement into the economy with potential investment."

Resuming diplomatic relations with China is "good news that strengthens Nicaragua's international relations in all fields," noted Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

New opportunities for cooperation and exchanges provided by the resumption of diplomatic ties with China will help Nicaragua meet its objectives of progress and social justice, said Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada.

Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada smiles during an interview in Managua, Nicaragua, Dec. 14, 2021. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

The minister further praised the political, historical and fraternal foundations that enabled Nicaragua and China to "reestablish relations between two brother countries, two brother peoples and two states that identify themselves in their economic and social projects for the well-being of their peoples and of humanity."

SOLIDARITY AGAINST COVID-19

On Sunday, the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China arrived at the Augusto C. Sandino International Airport in Managua, and was warmly welcomed by a Nicaraguan delegation with a ceremony.

This "gesture of solidarity, cooperation, friendship and fraternity from the people and government of the People's Republic of China," as Laureano Ortega Murillo, advisor to the Nicaraguan president and head of the delegation, described at the ceremony, has marked the beginning of a new journey where Nicaragua and China work closer to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staff members convey Chinese COVID-19 vaccine at an airport in Managua, Nicaragua, Dec. 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

The Chinese vaccines will help reinforce Nicaragua's vaccination campaign, Health Minister Martha Reyes told Xinhua, adding these vaccines, together with others obtained by Nicaragua, are enough to immunize nearly 6.4 million people out of its population of 6.6 million.

"For us that is success. Our health model has faced a risky situation but is now in a state of epidemiological stability," said Reyes.

The minister said she is looking forward to exchanging knowledge and experience with China on many other areas in the health sector, beyond the necessary immediate cooperation against the pandemic.

Nicaraguan Health Minister Martha Reyes gestures during an interview in Managua, Nicaragua, Dec. 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

The two countries have complementary advantages in health, such as Nicaragua's use of plants and natural remedies, and China's advanced application of acupuncture and other millenary practices, Reyes noted.

"That is going to be another asset that could strengthen our country, as well as other types of attention and exchanges in specialties in which China has more experience than we do," she said.

COMMON DEVELOPMENT

Following the resumption of ties, Nicaragua aims to take better advantage of China's initiatives to reduce poverty and help global economic growth, Ovidio Reyes, president of the Central Bank of Nicaragua, told Xinhua.

The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, he said, is a great development opportunity, as well as a sign of the "leadership of the Chinese economy in expanding world trade for everyone's benefit."

Meanwhile, as it sits between the Pacific and the Atlantic, Nicaragua could, along with China, contribute to preventing regional supply chain disruptions that have had a negative impact this year on the global economy, he said.

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 11, 2021 shows the Nicaragua Lake and wind turbines on the bank near Rivas, Nicaragua. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

"Being in our country offers access to both oceans, and that is a great advantage that serves as a bridge for other countries," he said.

Noting that Nicaragua and China share a concern for improving quality of life, the bank chief voiced confidence that the two countries can promote bilateral cooperation in such fields as health, education, electricity, drinking water, housing and daily necessities.

Nicaragua admires and hopes to learn from China's success and experience in fighting poverty, he said.

"Succeeding in reducing extreme poverty would be a great step for our country. That is where cooperation can bear fruit," he noted.

Murillo, the Nicaraguan president's advisor, told Xinhua that his country and China share many development goals, as well as a revolutionary and humanistic spirit.

The resumption of relations also reaffirms "the brotherhood of the two peoples who share the fight for sovereignty, dignity, self-determination and the right to their own path, according to their own characteristics," he added. (Video reporters: Zhao Kai, Wu Hao, Wang Chao, Liao Siwei; video editors: Liu Ruoshi, Zhang Yuhong)■