DANIEL: "Thanks to the People's decisiveness, the coup was aborted and we have managed to recover the conditions that we had prior to 2018, of stability, Peace, security, economic growth, progress in the fight against Poverty"

Meeting of President Comandante Daniel, and Compañera Rosario, Vice President of Nicaragua, with Comrade Luo Zhaohui, President of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA)

April 15th 2023

Remarks by Daniel

Good morning, Nicaraguan brothers and sisters, families of Nicaragua, on this occasion we have the honor of receiving a Delegation from the sister People's Republic of China, from the Chinese Agency for International Development Cooperation.

The Delegation is led by the Agency's President, brother Luo Zhaohui; the Director General of Department II of the CIDCA, Liu Junfeng; the Deputy Director General of the Department of Policies and Planning of the CIDCA, Li Ming; the Director of Department II of the CIDCA, Guan Zhiyong, and our beloved Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Nicaragua, Chen Xi. Accompanying the Ambassador are the Minister Counsellor of the Embassy, Zhoy Yi, and the Secretary of the Embassy Liu (...), also a translator. And we welcome you once again.

They arrived yesterday, arriving in Nicaragua at noon and have been touring the country, they have had meetings with various Institutions that have to do with the programs and projects for Life, for Peace. That is what we are pursuing in the fraternal relations between the People's Republic of China and Nicaragua.

I would say that this is an example of the Principles that President Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, has sustained, affirming, in a consequential way, that these are times to create a New World, a world where all nations can meet and live in Peace, Security and with respect for Sovereignty.

We totally share this banner that President Xi Jinping holds up, one which I am sure is also welcomed by all the Peoples of the World, perhaps not by all governments, but I am sure that the United States People also welcomes it. And so we hope that the United States government will also understand that this is the only path for us all, for stability and for Peace in the World.

So we want to thank you for the visit, to recognize the work that you have been doing, namely the advances of the different projects and programs already under way, including the housing programs, among other programs that are now being worked on with the different instances that CIDCA coordinates, in other words, International Cooperation for Development, the Chinese Agency engaging with the international community, engaging with developing Peoples, with the African Continent, with the Asian Peoples who are in the process of development and with the Latin American and Caribbean region.

That is to say, it is an Institution, an Agency with a far reaching vision, for the well-being, the security of the world's Peoples, and the fight against poverty which we are still waging in developing countries.

I extend to you again, beloved brother Luo Zhaohui, our welcome to this land that is also your land, to this Nation that is also your Nation, because Humanity has only one native country, striving for Peace and striving for the security of Nations and Peoples. And you bear our greetings to President Xi Jinping, whom we observe every day, at all times, striving for Peace, striving for Security, striving for the well-being of the world's Peoples, of our planet's most impoverished Peoples.

Our greetings to the Leadership, to the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, to all its leaders, national and local. The heroic example of the Chinese People fighting for their liberation, for their independence is always indelible in our consciences. We were children, but already the great leader Mao Tse Tung was someone we listened to, following his proposals, his ideas, and his revolutionary practice.

Our greetings to the Great People of the People's Republic of China.

Remarks by Comrade Lou Zhaohui

Your Excellency President Comandante Daniel Ortega, Your Excellency Compañera Vice President Rosario Murillo, it is a great honor for me, along with my delegation, to be able to visit Nicaragua and be received by the President and the Vice President.

First of all, I would like to convey the good wishes and affectionate greetings of President Xi Jinping and his wife, Professor Peng Liyuan, to President Comandante Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo. And also the wishes of the Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli, of the Chinese Government, to the President Comandante Daniel Ortega and to the Vice-President, Compañera Rosario Murillo.

For the great majority of the Delegation, this is the first time we have come to Nicaragua; although the time has been very short, we feel proud to be received by Nicaragua's very hospitable people and by the government which works very efficiently.

So, the most important thing I would like to express is to convey our gratitude to President Comandante Daniel Ortega and Vice President Compañera Rosario Murillo, and to the Nicaraguan people, to the government of Nicaragua, the gratitude of the Chinese Government and the Chinese People.

You have mentioned many times President Xi Jinping, the construction of the Community of a Shared Destiny, the Initiatives for Global Development, the Initiative for Global Security, the Initiative for a Global Civilization have been supported by the Nicaraguan Government. For this too we express our gratitude.

Cerrtainly, I will convey to President Xi Jinping your wishes and greetings.

I would also like to express our special gratitude to President Comandante Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, to the Nicaraguan people, for your unconditional and firm support for China's core issues and interests, that of Taiwan.

We are in frequent, daily contact with the Government of Nicaragua, also with Compañero Laureano,  we have met four times this year. He is very capable, coordinates with great ability and is very efficient, executing precisely and efficiently the instructions of President Comandante Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo.

I am visiting Nicaragua to continue exploring and developing cooperation with the Nicaraguan Government. We have held deep and extensive exchanges after arriving in Nicaragua yesterday.

We have exchanged very extensively on issues of education, economic growth, culture, public health and infrastructure, and we have reached broad consensus on cooperation in these areas.

We have also held meetings in smaller groups with the Nicaraguan government, and we were also able visit one of the three power generating stations.

Tomorrow morning, we will hold the ceremony to inaugurate the national housing program "New Victories".

This morning we held an internal meeting between the Embassy and Chinese companies accredited in Nicaragua; they knew that I was going to meet with President Comandante Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, and wanted me to convey their greetings and wishes to you both.

We tell them that we offer our words seriously and we are going to take our commitments seriously so as to ensure the delivery of the program on time.

We have held talks, discussing extensively various programs; for example, power generating stations, drinking water, water and sanitation, and the education system.

Rest assured that we attach great importance to the bilateral relations between China and Nicaragua. We will spare no effort to promote the development of diplomatic relations between China and Nicaragua.

We have listened to the lines of work outlined by Nicaragua's various government institutions. We believe this represents total, absolute trust in our Government.

We will continue working together with compañero Laureano to develop the projects discussed yesterday, on which, moreover, we have been working for a long time.

I would also like to take this opportunity to briefly present to you the latest situation in China.

In October last year we held the 20th Communist Party Congress in China and we selected the new leadership of the Communist Party of China. President Xi Jinping was re-elected as the Leader of the Communist Party of China.

In March this year we held the two sessions in which the Ministers and Leaders, the new Leaders of the Chinese Government have been elected.

China enjoys economic prosperity and social stability. Total GDP now exceeds US$1.7 trillion, with a GDP per capita over US$12,000.

We are the main trading partner for more than 140 countries in the world.

According to standard United Nations criteria, China eliminated extreme poverty 10 years ago.

We are promoting the construction of Chinese-style modernization.

Yesterday we shared with Comrade Laureano the five profiles of Chinese-style modernization. These five profiles of Chinese-style modernization are: Modernization for the world's largest population; Chinese-style modernization for common wealth; for shared development between material life and spiritual life; a Chinese-style modernization for harmony between development and environmental protection, and a modernization balanced between regional development, stability and peace.

We want to deepen exchanges in terms of cooperation, governance, the concept of government by the People, in addition to the developments of the projects and programs we have been working on.

Our policy is continuous and calls for high-quality development and auhtentic openness. Certainly, the development and opening up of China will provide greater opportunities for the whole world, and for Nicaragua.

We are on the right track in negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement.

Nicaragua has abundant tourism resources which we want to develop so as to deepen and extend development in that sector.

We are going to provide greater benefits to the Peoples of our two countries through our cooperation, so that the People of the whole world can see how intelligent, how correct the decision of President Xi Jinping and President Comandante Daniel Ortega to restore diplomatic relations between China and Nicaragua in December 2021 has been. We are full of expectations and optimism.

Thank you very much.

Remarks by Daniel

The Sandinista Front had its first contact with the Chinese Communist Party when we were fighting as guerrillas in armed struggle, and compañeros of the Sandinista Front, like Comandante Victor Tirado, went to China to explain the struggle we were engaged in here in Nicaragua and that we identified totally with the positions of the Chinese People.

Then, when the Revolution triumphed, we took the step of formally opening relations with the People's Republic of China, amid great pressures, because there was the threat to remove all the businesses Taiwan had here and thus cause widespread unemployment in our country.

In general, indeed, we maintained relations because we were always in communication, even in the period when we were out of the government we kept in touch via exchanges with the Chinese Communist Party.

Comandante Tomás Borge visited the People's Republic of China during that time with other compañeros from the Sandinista Front and we kept up that exchange, that was never lost. When we took office as the government, we maintained communication, we maintained exchanges at a party level, until finally we were able to take the step allowing us to sustain our country and restore relations with the People's Republic of China.

And during those years, after relations with Taiwan were resumed by the government imposed by the United States in the '90s, throughout that long period we always agreed, defending the common goals between our political parties.

We cannot forget that when we faced the US war in the '80s, headed by President Ronald Reagan, Taiwan was used to arm the counterrevolution as well.

The United States used drug trafficking and also used Taiwan and other operations they carried out, the notorious Iran-Contra affair that was widely known there and discussed in the United States as a mechanism to keep the counterrevolution armed and financed; that is to say, they used drug trafficking too.

Then, during the period after we took office the Government we maintained a fraternal relationship, without formalizing the restoration of relations yet; during that period of course we defended the principle of One China, and although we received invitations, multiple invitations from those who presided over the government imposed by the United States there in Taiwan, to visit Taiwan, we never visited Taiwan.

And now that it is clearer than ever that Taiwan is no more than a military base of the US Empire, we are sure that the time will come when Taiwan will be free from that military occupation of the Yankee Empire. So now, under the legitimate authorities of the People's Republic of China, I am sure that we will indeed visit Taiwan, and that it will be sooner rather than later.

And too, I want to share with you, that in the Central American Integration System we have a Principle, which is that what the Presidents decide, what the Presidents agree on, gets implemented, that is a Principle, and in that way, along with other countries, Taiwan joined the Central American Integration System as an Observer there.

But then, well, with every right States have, nations, countries like Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama, El Salvador, decided to recognize the legitimate government of the People's Republic of China, and recently Honduras, as well as Nicaragua. We are six countries, only Guatemala and Belize are left, and what Guatemala and Belize have is a relationship with a Yankee military base there, there is no State there, no government.

And given the attitudes at the moment on the part of Guatemala and Belize, wanting to block the incorporation as an Observer of the Russian Federation, already approved by the SICA Presidents, we all have relations with the Russian Federation, all of Central America; so we want to make it clear that we are going to point out, firstly, that a decision already taken cannot be reversed, and too that Taiwan's presence in SICA should be reversed, since it no longer has a reason to exist, because it is really a Yankee military base implanted in a system of association of independent States, the autonomous States of the Central American region.

Because it is an absurdity, a complete absurdity, when a majority of countries now have relations with the People's Republic of China, for Taiwan, which only two Countries recognize, to remain in the Central American Integration System while, on the other hand, they want to block the integration of a nation like Russia that has relations with all of Central America.

So there is no other alternative here and we have made clear to Guatemala and Belize, we have made it clear that SICA cannot continue to admit Taiwan into its system. The Yankee military base known as Taiwan or Taipei, has to be withdrawn, expelled from SICA.

So here the battle continues, the fight goes on! The United States, as it has done throughout history, wants to control Nicaragua, take Nicaragua, occupy Nicaragua. The troops that have intervened here in our country on different occasions have been US troops.

They continue with their plans, continue to conspire, financing with billions of dollars the instruments of aggression and war they are preparing, to try a coup d'état again. But the people here really are convinced that this can no longer be allowed, it cannot be repeated.

Because here there was an attempted coup d'état, and as usual, the historic imperialists, the Europeans, the European empires, subordinated to the North American empire, immediately joined in. But, thanks to the People's decisiveness, the coup was aborted and we have managed to recover the conditions that we had prior to 2018, of stability, Peace, security, economic growth, progress in the fight against Poverty, and this has strengthened the People's consciousness and also strengthened the defensive capacity of the Nicaraguan people.

Now, circumstances are different. At that time, in 2018, when the coup attempt began, since we had a good alliance ongoing for years with the different sectors, economic, social and political, with the country's workers, with all sectors there was, we can say, a great national convergence for Peace, for work, for development, the economy was growing.

But always, of course, there were groups that the intelligence agencies of the United States organize and mobilize to do harm, to carry out sabotage, to kill, to destroy; they always received funding, training, etc. And they had some religious leaders as spokespersons, not all, but a few religious leaders, such as a famous bishop of Esteli whose name says a lot: Monsignor Mata! That's his last name, Monsignor Mata! He was one of those who openly attacked the Government when we were in the time of convergence.

Other bishops, such as a bishop of Matagalpa, dedicated themselves to boycotting economic and productive activities in the department of Matagalpa. So there were a few priests who simply did not accept the Revolution because they came from somocismo and were agents of imperialism.

So, when the first attempts of the coup took place, we acted very calmly and with great restraint. We did not react immediately, as they react in other countries, immediately deploying all their forces to defeat the coup. And this led them to think that we were defeated, because they had the country blockaded, because they were killing people, because they were murdering people, planting bombs.

Then they thought that we were already defeated, and that led to the extreme of something for which I know of no precedent, at least in the last century, namely that all the bishops of Nicaragua's Episcopal Conference sought a meeting with us, we received them, and they came to read us an ultimatum. For what? For us to dismantle all the powers of the State: the judiciary, the electoral power, all the powers of the State, everyone, the police, the army, everyone, and they gave us a one-week deadline.

There they were facing us...! And we thought, "what's this?" Reading us their declaration signed by all of them. It's left there for history. That is to say, the leaders of the coup d'état emerged there, where it was the bishop of Matagalpa who assumed the leadership. We listened, and really I was thinking, what's wrong with them? Are they out of their minds? Don't they realize what their role is? Since when do bishops have the authority to go around deciding who governs and who does not?

I come from a Catholic Family and what I was taught is that bishops and priests should bring Peace, reconciliation; but I also knew from a young age that a good number of the priests and bishops here in Nicaragua were somocistas, they defended somocismo and imperialism, and whenever there was a military intervention by the US troops, the bishops turned up to bless the weapons of the US troops standing in formation.

So, well, I'm catholic, I'm still a catholic, I believe in Christ, but as I've always said, I don't believe in priests or bishops, while there are exceptions of course, there are always some good people. But the truth is that here the role of the Catholic Church, of its leadership above all, remains a role that has nothing to do with the principles of Christianity.

So then the country was paralyzed, the police stations were attacked, we had ordered the police not to respond to the people attacking their stations, not to respond; and at great cost for the police to comply with that decision, because even police officers were casualties, because the attackers killed police officers. In the meantime, we promoted a dialogue to find out how to stop the blockades in the country and the damage to the country, but what they were asking us to do was to leave office.

That is to say, we made every possible effort for this to be resolved in a non-violent way, but in the end, they had become so emboldened believing we were already defeated, we had no other way but to use what is used everywhere, the police and volunteer police, who quickly restored order in the country.

And since then, what has always persisted really is an international campaign led by the United States and United Nations agencies, the UN, OAS agencies, the European Union agencies, a campaign of infamy, slander, seeking to weaken Nicaragua.

But we have been patient, and began to capture those who were already organizing plans to plant bombs, to launch attacks again on police stations. There were 222 people imprisoned, whom they called "political prisoners” but who were nothing more than terrorists; however there was a worldwide campaign for the “political prisoners" in Nicaragua.

Then in February, since the United States was the one crying out most of all for the “political prisoners”, we told them: "Well, take them away, here they are, take them". And they sent a plane on which the 222 “political prisoners" left.

Now they are inventing that there are more "political prisoners". So I tell all those governments, along with that of the United States, that talk about there being more “political prisoners”, to pass the list to us and we will send them the prisoners.

That's the battle we're fighting, alongside this battle against a new conspiracy... These days have been very tense, because these are the days of the fifth anniversary of the coup attempt; so then the Yankee intelligence agencies have made every effort, the ones they have tried and the ones still to come, seeking how to provoke another uprising here, but they have not been able to, nor will they be able to.

Because we have a People who know what Peace means, because we have completely recovered Peace, and we are now in a period of growth, in a period of improving conditions for all Nicaragua's families, with extraordinary programs like this one that you are bringing us today in solidarity, for housing, programs that have to do with water and so on, which are essential programs for the life of the human person.

So, we are in the struggle! And this is naturally a global battle, a global battle now being strengthened by the initiatives of President Xi Jinping, one that is about persuading the great powers, especially the Europeans and the United States, that no other way for the survival of humanity exists except a shared path.

So, thank you for your visit. And well, please give our greetings also, of course, to the family of President Xi Jinping, to his wife; to the Directorate, to the Prime Minister, and to the Vice-Premier also our greetings. And tell them that here they have a People who share the strength, the firmness, the courage of the Chinese People, and who share the spirit of Solidarity also in the Chinese People. Thank you.

Remarks by Comrade Luo Zhaohui

Thank you very much for those very responsible words, we will report them to President Xi Jinping. We are very grateful to you for sharing this information about what happened in the year 2018. China firmly supports any effort taken by the Nicaraguan government to preserve territorial integrity and Sovereignty.

The Sandinista Front, which you lead, makes it possible for the Republic of Nicaragua to enjoy this life of political stability, a condition of fundamental importance for social development to take place. It is an experience learned from China's 40-year history of opening up and reforming. That is why we have absolute confidence in Nicaragua's economic development, since you have a stable government.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The Taiwan issue is China's internal affair. The occurrence of the Taiwan problem is linked to the United States. The United States still gambles playing the card of Taiwan, about which we are not afraid.

You have explained to us the United States relations with Nicaragua; relations between China and the United States are also experiencing difficulties. The United States is trying to punish China on any China-related issue. But we have the leadership of President Xi Jinping, we have the leadership of the Communist Party of China, we have our institutional and political advantages, and we also have the firm support of close friends like Nicaragua.

Thank you very much for explaining the exchanges between our two Parties, which we will report to China. We hope to be able to make visits at appropriate times for officials of both our governments. Thank you very much.