China Wants Costa Rica Oil

Chinese represent danger
to Tico culture, environment

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

The ever sneaky and inscrutable Communist Chinese have one goal in mind here, and it's not promoting "culture." It's to persuade the Costa Rican government to allow the Chinese to develop our offshore oil deposits in order to feed the insatiable Chinese industrial juggernaut. Oscar Arias is playing a dangerous game by opening the country to Chinese influence. He is putting the sociocultural well-being of present and future Costa Ricans at great risk.

For decades, every major human rights organization and Western country has put China at or near the top of worst violators of basic human rights. Let's consider the cultural incompatibilities between Costa Rica and China.

(1) Costa Rica disbanded its military more than 50 years ago. China's nuclear-equipped military is the largest in the world and maintains an open ended threat of an attack on Taiwan, (Costa Rica's ex buddy who got thrown under the bus for a soccer stadium), should that country declare its official independence from the Communists.

(2) China continues its brutal occupation of Tibet in the face of a half century of international condemnation. Look what the Chinese have done to Tibetan culture! The message is clear: China considers its culture to be superior to all others. What kind of political repercussions could Costa Rica expect from its new best friend were she to criticize China's policy towards Tibet? What sort of respect can Costa Rica expect for its OWN culture from a country like that? This should be reason enough for Costa Rica to close its doors to China.

(3) Costa Rica has freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion. FREEDOM!!! China's obsession with curtailing/eliminating these rights and crushing those who support them are all too well known and lately exemplified by the cyber attacks on Google.

(4) China has the death penalty. Costa Rica does not. China uses convict labor to produce consumer goods for export. Costa Rica wouldn't even think of it.

(5) China's record on the environment is nothing short of abysmal. While Costa Rica's environmental regulations/regulatory enforcement leave much to be desired, this country's eco values are far superior to those of the Chinese, who view industrial expansion at any cost as being in the best interests of its people. (Even when they're being poisoned.)

China knows that all over the developing world, poverty and cash strapped, overwhelmed politicians mean political malleability and opportunities to buy and manipulate governments and the natural resources they possess.

The fact that the Chinese are building a soccer stadium here instead of a hospital is very telling. They are wooing the Costa Rican people by feeding their addiction to football. I think this is deplorable. Once China gets its foot in the door with grants, loans and other "carrots," how does Costa Rica then say "no" to the Communists? On ANYTHING!

I would take five minutes sitting in the presence of H. H. the Dalai Lama over a hundred years of exposure to Chinese "culture." Ticos had better wake up to the threat of the dragon at the gate before its too late.

Dean Barbour
Manuel Antonio