Taiwan’s president arrives to attend Nicaraguan inauguration

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Taiwan’s president arrived in Nicaragua on Monday to attend the inauguration of President Daniel Ortega.

It is the second stop on President Tsai Ing-wen’s tour of Central America, which the Taiwanese Embassy said is aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries.

Ortega was re-elected to his third term as Nicaragua’s president and is to be sworn in Tuesday. His wife, Rosario Murillo, was elected vice-president.

Ortega and Taiwan’s president talked for more than an hour Monday night. During a televised portion, Ortega said Nicaragua would continue supporting Taiwan in international organizations, especially the United Nations.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and usually objects to other countries receiving its leader.

Nicaragua has received substantial investment from China in recent years. Most notably, a Chinese company was granted a concession to build a $50 billion interoceanic canal in 2014. There has been little progress and skeptics question whether it will be built.