The Costa Rican presidential office has confirmed that five intelligence officials were sent to Taiwan last month for intelligence training, a Costa Rican newspaper reported on Wednesday.
It was the first official intelligence exchange between the Central American nation and Taiwan since the former severed diplomatic ties in 2007.
Five Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) officials were in Taiwan from May 8 to 31 to attend a basic intelligence course, the Spanish-language La Nacion reported, adding that their expenses were covered by Taiwan.
Photo: screen grab from Costa Rican Presidential Office’s Facebook page
As the DIS does not have its own training budget, it was important to seize the opportunity, the Costa Rican presidential office was quoted as saying.
The Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter also sent two personnel to Taiwan to attract investment, with a focus on semiconductor cooperation, Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Trade Manuel Tovar said.
China has protested Costa Rica’s decision to send officials to Taiwan, with the Chinese embassy in Costa Rica saying the move contravenes its so-called “one China” principle.
Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves did not respond to China’s protest during a news conference on Wednesday, but did criticize Huawei for trying to influence members of the Costa Rican legislature.
The legislators with close ties to China and Huawei are “lobbyists for foreign interests,” he said.
Costa Rica in 2023 banned Huawei from participating in its 5G telecom network buildout. Huawei filed a lawsuit in retaliation and the US government revoked the visas of several Costa Rican officials aligned with the company.
Since recognizing China in 2007, promised economic growth in Costa Rica from free-trade agreements and foreign direct investments have failed to materialize, the CentroAmerica360 news outlet reported.
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