Photo: Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, Adriana Mira, Salvadoran Vice President Féliz Ulloa and Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in El Salvador, Zhang Yanhui. Credit: X account.
Last Thursday, May 2nd, it was announced that China will send its first military attaché to El Salvador, within the framework of new military cooperation between both countries.
The Chinese ambassador in El Salvador, Zhang Yanhui, confirmed that the Salvadoran government led by Nayib Bukele approved the appointment of a military attaché who is expected to arrive in the country in one or two months.
Previously there was no military representation in the country because there was no military cooperation, which although it has not started, talks are already active, as Yahui said: “at the moment there is no military cooperation, but soon will start some of that, as our military attaché is about to arrive”.
Relations between China and El Salvador began in 2018, when former President Salvador Sánchez Cerén (FMLN) broke ties with Taiwan and recognized the People’s Republic of China. However, these relations have been strengthened during the government of Nayib Bukele, who became president in 2019.
Since then, the Central American country has received a large amount of resources in non-reimbursable cooperation from China, such as the recently inaugurated modern building of the National Library of El Salvador (BINAES) and the amusement park in La Libertad.
A purchase of 1,500 buses from the Chinese company Yutong Bus Co. LTD was also made, and a new stadium with an expected capacity of 50,000 people is under construction.
Likewise, the Free Trade Agreement between both countries is in the process of negotiation, for which Yanhui indicated that they are in the phase of information exchange. “I believe that in a very short time the first commercial exchange will begin,” he said through the radio program where he announced the news.
“El Salvador has been a great partner for China in many aspects, whether in the political, economic, commercial, investment or in the cultural or educational sector; there is still a long way to go to promote these relations,” said the ambassador.
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China y El Salvador avanzan en la cooperación militar | Canal 26 (2024, Mayo 03).