Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco has asked Taiwan to help sell Costa Rican coffee in China, Taiwan press reports said on Thursday. Pacheco expressed the wish to sell Costa Rican coffee through Taiwan to China to Taiwan Premier Yu Shyi-kun Tuesday in Santo Domingo, where they attended the inauguration of the Dominican Republic's president-designate Leonel Fernandez on Monday, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported. Pacheco told Yu that all Central American and Carribean countries are eager to sell their coffee to China. "If every person in China drinks a cup of coffee every day, it will represent a huge market," he said. Pacheco said that coffee exports to China could a lucrative business that could help rev up the sluggish economies in Latin America. To crack the Chinese market, Pacheco said, Taiwan would be the best gateway because from Taiwan businessmen could get the latest in-depth information about mainland China. Pacheco invited all interested Taiwan businessmen to visit Costa Rica for the coffee harvest festival to be held in Novemberm, CNA said. Costa Rica is one of the 26 countries that recognize Taiwan. Taiwan is one of the fastest-growing coffee markets in Asia, with thousands of coffee shops spread all over the island. Several Taiwan businessmen have opened coffee shops in China to tap into the world's largest consumer market. But it will be a long time before these coffee shops can make money in China because coffee is expensive and most Chinese still prefer to drink tea.
