“There is only one China in the world,” Daniel Ortega proclaimed in December 2021, to justify the reestablishment of his dictatorship’s diplomatic relations with mainland China and his abrupt break with Taiwan, until then the most generous of his donors. However, during the first year of their relationship turnaround, while waiting for the “big promises” from China that do not materialize, Ortega executes 349.1 million córdobas of “remaining funds” from the small rebel island that he is now unaware of.
The regime received from China-Taiwan those 349.1 million córdobas as “remnant income received in 2021”, of which it has already executed 68.5%, since it still has 110 million córdobas that were not executed between January and September of this year. year, according to the Budget Execution Report for that period, published by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (MHCP) last November.
The report reveals that, with this figure, the island of Taiwan, unknown to Ortega, was the second largest foreign donor to Nicaragua this year. The first place is occupied by the World Bank with 495.2 million. They are followed by Taiwan; the European Union, with 298.1 million; the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), with 243.5 million, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with 222.4 million.
According to the report, the amount of these “remaining funds” was allocated to health, agricultural and cooperation projects that were underway before the president broke diplomatic relations with this country.
The projects carried out with funds from Taiwan are mostly health, and there are also some social construction, agricultural and cooperation projects delivered to four State institutions and ministries, among them: the Ministry of Health (Minsa), the Ministry of Agriculture ( MAG), the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Attention (Sinapred) and the National Police.
Projects with “carryover funds” from Taiwan
The ministry that received the most funds from Taiwan was the Minsa. As revealed by the Treasury report, amounts were allocated for hospital care, for care and response to the covid-19 pandemic and for administrative management. The projects were:
- Dispensary care for families in the communitywith an amount of 2.7 million córdobas that had not been executed until September.
- hospitalization services for an amount of 2.7 million that had not been executed either.
- Medical and/or surgical hospitalization services for 71.8 million. Of this amount, the regime has executed 68 million up to September.
- Hospital administrative technical management for 22.9 million. Of this amount, 15.1 million remain to be executed before the end of the year.
- Attention of the covid-19 pandemic received 30.2 million, of which 30 million were executed between January and September and 161,376 córdobas remained for the last quarter.
- Capitalization and technical assistance for 82.8 million córdobas. This amount had not yet been executed as of September 2022.
The Ministry of Agriculture, for its part, received 7.9 million córdobas for the national program of genetic improvement in bovine livestock.
The National Police received 33.7 million for the construction of the polyclinic and the pediatric area of the Carlos Roberto Huembes Hospital. This last project has been underway since 2021. According to press releases, the construction of the polyclinic alone would cost 156 million córdobas that will come from Treasury and Taiwan Revenues. In 2021, when construction began, Taiwan delivered 70.3 million córdobas, that is, 45% of the cost of the project.
The National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Attention (Sinapred) received 89.7 million from Taiwan. This money was allocated to the “Construction of Solidarity Housing” project. As of September, 99.3% had been executed, and the remaining 544,742 córdobas were left to be used in the last quarter of the year.
The Budget Execution Report also details three other projects for 4.2 million córdobas. However, it does not specify to which ministry or institution they were assigned. These are:
- Food and nutrition security initial education (preschool) with 89,345 córdobas not yet executed as of September 2022.
- Continuous training and training for 2.1 million córdobas. Of this total, 1.7 million were executed between January and September.
- Technical and financial cooperation program for two million cordobas, which have already been executed.
