China’s increasing presence in Costa Rica and Nicaragua: from strategic issues to national impacts

The increase in economic and trade exchanges with Central American countries goes along with the imposition of China’s economic and political standards of international trade policy. This observation raises questions about the strategic challenge posed by China’s normative influence into regional level and its different effects on national arenas. Impacts derived from China’s relevance as trading partner, provider of foreign direct investment, and international lender for infrastructure projects are visible not only throughout the increasing of strategic issues in Central America, but are also increasingly making room for specific domestic divisions. This paper tries to identify national impacts and responses to the growing Chinese presence in two Central American countries: Costa Rica and Nicaragua. In analysing the diverse circumstances generated by Chinese economic presence in these two different cases, I hope to contribute to studies on the normative power of China’s trade policy to Central America.