Costa Rica was the first Central American country to establish diplomatic relations with China in the new century and has signed a free trade agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative with China in 2010 and 2018, respectively. As General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out, the China-Costa Rica relationship could serve as a model for friendly cooperation between countries with different scales and national conditions. To implement the important speeches by General Secretary Xi, create a new frontier for Liaoning’s opening-up, deeply integrate into the Belt and Road Initiative, and fulfill the relevant plans of the provincial CPC committee and government, Liaoning University is actively expanding cooperation and exchange channels with the Costa Rican embassies and consulates, as well as Costa Rican universities, research institutes, and international organizations.

On July 30, a delegation led by Yu Miaojie, a deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress, Fellow of the International Economic Association, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of Liaoning University, visited Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA), accompanied by Yin Ruyu, Deputy Director of the Office of International Affairs, and Chen Fu, Deputy Director of the Institute of Environment and Economics.

On the morning of July 30, Francisco González Alvarado, President of UNA, Olman Segura, former President, Jorge Herrera Murillo, Vice President of Scientific Research, and the Deans and senior professors of relevant colleges held talks with Yu Miaojie and his delegation. Francisco González Alvarado delivered a speech expressing a warm welcome to Yu Miaojie and his delegation's visit, and hoping to promote in-depth cooperation between the two sides in the fields of talent training, academic research, and education for sustainable development through exchanges. Yu Miaojie expressed his gratitude to UNA for its warm reception, introduced the specific situation of Liaoning University in terms of professional setting, talent training, and school philosophy, and said that he would fully support and promote in-depth cooperation between the two sides. 

During the talks, Marco Otoya, head of the International Center for Economic Policy for Sustainable Development of UNA, introduced in detail the relevant research carried out by UNA in the field of sustainable economic policy. Yu Miaojie further introduced the specific practices of Liaoning University in integrating the concept of sustainable development into academic research, think tank construction and teacher training. The two sides reached cooperation intentions on academic cooperation on sustainable development and teacher exchanges, and held a signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding.

On the afternoon of July 30, Yu Miaojie and his delegation visited the School of Chemistry at UNA and visited a characteristic laboratory of the college, learning about the scientific research progress of the college in the fields of production pollution measurement, household waste recycling and treatment. They exchanged ideas with relevant scientific research leaders and students on ecological civilization construction.

The National University of Costa Rica is a public university in Costa Rica, renowned internationally for its outstanding academic achievements, social responsibility, and diverse disciplinary offerings, ranking among the top universities in Latin America. The National University of Costa Rica is the first Latin American university to sign a cooperation agreement with LNU, opening a chapter in the collaboration between LNU and Latin American universities.