Ortega says China Strengthens Nicaragua’s International Relations
HAVANA TIMES – Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said Friday that the restoration of diplomatic ties with China strengthens the Central American country’s international relations at a time when part of the international community has questioned the legitimacy of his government.
“This is good news, because it fortifies and strengthens Nicaragua’s international relations in all fields. With China we have a strong economy,” Ortega said at a graduation ceremony for military officers.
The day before, the government of the former Sandinista guerrilla broke the 31-year relations between Nicaragua and Taiwan and affirmed that “the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all of China,” and that the Taiwan is “an inalienable part of Chinese territory.”
“We are sure that what has been signed today is news that makes our people happy. It also makes all the countries who have relations with the People’s Republic of China happy,” Ortega said Friday night in a speech in which he cited the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), that brings together countries that do not recognize Taiwan’s independence, which Beijing describes as a “rebel province”.
Ortega added that with China the project of the interoceanic canal through Nicaragua is “alive,” which Managua and Chinese investor Wang Jing promised to build between 2013 and 2018 but was never executed.
In his speech, Ortega advocated that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange not be deported from the United Kingdom to the United States and accused both countries of human rights violations.
A month after the legitimacy of the elections that gave Ortega his third consecutive re-election was rejected by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the majority of the international community, Ortega questioned democracy in Europe, and especially in the United Kingdom.
“And who chose the queen, who voted for the queen?” asked Ortega, referring to Elizabeth II. “At the end of the day being a queen is not the queen’s fault, a lady who is ninety-odd years old,” he said.
The OAS is currently discussing whether to suspend Nicaragua for “breaking the constitutional order.” However, Ortega, who blames the opposition for the situation, announced Nicaragua’s withdrawal from the organization, a process that will take two years to realize.