Oscar Arias, a Nobel laureate and former president of Costa Rica said that the United States revoked his visa. At a press conference in the Costa Rican capital, San José, Arias said he had no idea what the reason for the cancellation was but hinted that his recent critical comments on President Trump may be the reason.
Arias, a Nobel laureate, said he was informed of the decision weeks after he had publicly criticised Donald Trump, comparing the behaviour of the US president to that of a Roman emperor. The 84-year-old, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in brokering an end to conflicts in Central America, said US authorities had given no explanation.
Arias also hinted that it may be due to his rapprochement with China during the time he was president from 2006 to 2010.
At the conference, Arias said he had received a terse email of a few lines"from the US government informing him of the decision.
While he said it would be conjecture on his part to speculate about the reason behind the visa revocation, he did point out that "I established diplomatic relations with China. "That, of course, is known throughout the world," he told journalists of his 2007 decision to cut ties with Taiwan and establish them with China instead.
The Trump administration has sought to oppose China's influence in the Western hemisphere and has accused a number of Central American governments of cosying up to the Chinese government and Chinese companies.
Arias is not the only Costa Rican to have had his US visa revoked. Three members of the country's national assembly who opposed President Chaves's decree to exclude Chinese companies from participating in the development of 5G have also had theirs cancelled.
