The meeting was presided on the Chinese side by the director general of the Department of International Trade of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Li Xinqiang; while presidential advisor Laureano Ortega chaired the meeting for Nicaragua.

At the gathering, Ortega thanked the presence of the Chinese delegation, which was made up of eight members of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and 24 businessmen seeking to promote investments, work on job creation and improve the living conditions of Nicaraguans.

“Fellow businessmen, importers and exporters interested in bringing products to the Chinese market, we have the possibilities, the bases, to be able to develop this work and we are sure that, with this visit, the meetings, the exchanges (…), will allow us to foster, promote and strengthen this exchange,” Ortega said.

The president of the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN), Ovidio Reyes, explained to the visitors, the behavior of the Nicaraguan economy in recent times, and added that it is growing at a rate of 4.5 percent per year.

According to Reyes, Nicaragua has an important agricultural base, in addition to having spaces for commerce, services and tourism sectors. “We believe that this base constitutes the offer that Nicaragua can offer, for commercial exchange with China; in addition to other areas that can also be opened,” he stressed.

The Minister of Development, Industry and Commerce, Jesús Bermúdez, commented on the trade facilities proposed by the Free Trade Agreement with China, in force since January of this year.

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