Topic

Nicaragua Canali

Nicaragua awarded a concession in June 2013 to design, build and manage a US$40 billion canal to rival Panama. The canal would cost about four years’ worth of Nicaragua’s annual gross domestic product, and would likely be three times longer than the 48-mile (77-km) Panama Canal, which took a decade to build.

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  • When Managua switched its diplomatic allegiance from Taipei to Beijing on Friday, mainland China boosted its influence in the US’ backyard, say observers
  • The announcement came on the same day as the US State Department slapped sanctions on a national security adviser to Nicaraguan President Ortega
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A deal between the Nicaraguan government and the Chinese company includes a clause that would allow parts of the project to be cancelled this year. But groups fear another agreement would be drawn up to pursue the project, which aims to rival the Panama Canal

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A top-level Nicaraguan delegation - headed by the president's son - travelled to mainland China and Hong Kong last week to discuss what could be the world's largest waterway project, the South China Morning Post has learned.

A Hong Kong-based adviser for construction of a massive interoceanic canal through Nicaragua said the construction projects would bring "massive economics benefits" to the impoverished country.

History repeats itself with the signing of the Ortega-Wang Jing Treaty, which alienates Nicaraguan sovereignty to a private company for a century, thus turning Nicaraguans into pawns, yet again, for big interest and the super powerful.

A proposed waterway to rival the Panama Canal could make Nicaragua the richest country in Central America, a project official said. The country recently approved the US$40 billion project, granting the concession to little-known Hong Kong company HKND Group.

Wang Jing, chairman of the Hong Kong-based HKND, which has won a concession to design, build and manage a canal to rival Panama's, was upbeat about the project, despite its huge cost.

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