Interview: Reform and opening-up drawing China closer to Latin America: director of ProNicaragua_English

Managua, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- China has made admirable achievements since initiating its reform and opening-up policy some 30 years ago, Javier Chamorro, executive director of ProNicaragua, the Nicaraguan government's investment promotion agency, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The move has shortened the distance between China and Latin America, but more importantly, it has brought the two peoples closer to each other, he added.

The 31-year-old promising executive director is honored as a rising star in Nicaraguan politics. He belongs to an eminent family, with his father the country's former vice foreign minister and his mother an ambassador.

Chamorro has just wrapped up his visit to Shanghai to sign the contract of participation for the Shanghai World Expo 2010 in the name of his government, making Nicaragua the 95th country to ink the contract worldwide.

Chamorro said he was deeply impressed with Shanghai's pace of development.

Before arriving at Shanghai, Javier had learnt that the tallest building in the city was the 88-storey Jinmao Towers. But in Shanghai he found himself overlooking Jinmao Tower from an even taller Shanghai Global Financial Hub.

Yet another surprise was waiting for Chamorro. After returning to Nicaragua, he read an article about the Shanghai Center, currently under construction, from the top of which one can look down at both Jinmao Tower and Shanghai Global Financial Hub.

Chamorro expressed admiration for China's astonishing achievements since 1978, joking that he had developed a fear of heights from witnessing the dizzying development pace of the country.

China, situated far away from Nicaragua, is a little-known country to the Nicaraguan people. Yet, the two nations were very similar 30 years ago, as both were relatively poor and less developed, said Chamorro.

However, China has grown into a world economic power as its reform and opening-up navigates into its 30th anniversary, a feat which Nicaragua can draw on, he added.

China was an exotic and mysterious state to many Latin American nations 30 years ago, when the country had not opened itself up to the outside world. But now products made in China can be seen in supermarkets all over the continent, Chamorro said.

China may be a competitor for some world powers, but its development also benefits many less developed or even poverty-stricken countries, providing them with qualified and relatively cheap products, he noted.

Thirty years of reform and opening up have not only shortened the distance between China and Latin America, but also drawn the two peoples closer to each other, Chamorro pointed out.

Nicaragua decided to participate in the Shanghai World Expo in a bid to show the people of China what the Latin American nation has achieved in the past years and to attract investments from Chinese companies.

Nicaragua, resolving to shake off poverty, also sees this as an opportunity to learn more from China and draw on its experiences of reform and opening-up.