LatinNews Daily - 03 October 2025

*Nicaragua’s government led by co-presidents Daniel Ortega and First Lady Rosario Murillo has authorised the signing of new loan worth ¥407.54m (US$57.40m) from China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) for the construction of a solar plant in Estelí department. Two days earlier, on 30 September, the Nicaraguan government announced it had authorised four mining concessions to Chinese mining companies, totalling over 85,000 hectares (ha). One, for 49,997ha in San Miguelito, San Carlos, and El Castillo municipalities (Río San Juan department), was awarded to Zhong Fu Development S.A. The other concessions went to two new Chinese companies, Three Gold Coins Company S.A. (for 23,223ha in Quilalí, Nueva Segovia department), and Norther Mining Company S.A. (for 3,115ha in Villanueva municipality, Chinandega department and another for 8,720ha in El Cuá municipality, Jinotega). Local environmental groups such as Fundación del Río have long expressed concerns over the concessions awarded to China by the Nicaraguan government which have multiplied in recent years. They warn that many of the concessions overlap or border indigenous lands; that there is limited information on the track record of the companies involved; and highlight the lack of publicly available environmental impact assessments. China and Nicaragua established bilateral relations in December 2021 after the Ortega government severed ties with Taiwan.

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