Relationship dossier
People's Republic of China
Costa Rica
Relationship assessment
A cooperative relationship built on trade, infrastructure support, and bilateral agreements
People's Republic of China toward Costa Rica
+45China has supported infrastructure cooperation in Costa Rica, including contributing to construction of the National Stadium, and concluded a bilateral free trade agreement that took effect in 2011. The two governments also signed a Belt and Road cooperation memorandum.
Costa Rica toward People's Republic of China
+45Costa Rica established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 2007, ending official ties with Taiwan, and concluded a bilateral free trade agreement with China that took effect in 2011. Costa Rica later signed a Belt and Road cooperation memorandum with China.
Overall relationship
+45The relationship has a durable cooperative basis in diplomatic ties, a bilateral free trade agreement, infrastructure cooperation, and subsequent Belt and Road engagement. These arrangements indicate substantive cooperation, although the scale and implementation of later projects are uncertain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
China and Costa Rica have maintained a substantive cooperative relationship since Costa Rica established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 2007. A bilateral free trade agreement, Chinese support for Costa Rican infrastructure, and later cooperation under the Belt and Road framework provide concrete foundations for the relationship.
Key developments
Costa Rica established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and ended official diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
China and Costa Rica signed a bilateral free trade agreement, which entered into force in 2011.
China supported construction of Costa Rica's National Stadium, which opened in 2011.
Costa Rica and China signed a memorandum on cooperation under the Belt and Road framework.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of later bilateral cooperation agreements are unclear.
- The extent of Chinese investment and infrastructure cooperation in Costa Rica is uncertain.