Rubio: U.S. Supports Costa Rica in Dealing with Cyber Attacks and Drug Trafficking

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised on Tuesday (February 4) to support Costa Rica in its cybersecurity defense, 5G telecommunications infrastructure development, and efforts to combat drug trafficking.

During a joint press conference with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves, Rubio made the aforementioned statement.

He told reporters, “For such a small country, facing 110 million cyber attacks per year is a very serious issue, unprecedented, but they have been bravely confronting these challenges.”

According to local media reports, by the end of 2024, Costa Rican officials, in cooperation with the US embassy, discovered that Chinese criminal groups were attempting to infiltrate the country’s telecommunications and technical systems networks. However, the Chinese embassy in Costa Rica denied this.

In August 2023, Chaves issued a decree further regulating the construction of 5G networks. The decree stipulated that companies participating in the bidding must come from countries that have signed the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. As China is not a signatory to this convention, it effectively prohibited Chinese companies from participating in Costa Rica’s 5G infrastructure construction.

Rubio stated that Costa Rica has taken a firm stance on “5G system security issues” by “only allowing trusted suppliers to participate in the bidding”, a measure worth praising, and one that could serve as a model for the region and the world.

He pointed out, “When you face insecure companies (suppliers), often there is a regime like China (the CCP) backing them— they like to threaten, disrupt, and use economic coercion to punish you.”

Furthermore, Rubio emphasized that Washington will not “cancel foreign aid”, but will prioritize supporting reliable partners and allies.

“We will not cancel foreign aid. We will provide meaningful, effective, and mutually beneficial foreign aid to our trusted partners and allies,” Rubio added, “If aid does not make us stronger, more prosperous, or safer, we will not spend taxpayers’ money on it. This is our responsibility to the American people.”

He also pledged to continue cooperation with Costa Rica, providing support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to investigate drug trafficking cases to the United States.

Rubio said, “Today we issued a waiver because Costa Rica is a trusted partner and ally, they have shown they can use US assistance to address their own issues and benefit themselves, as well as benefit the United States. They have fought drug crimes, stopped criminals, and identified terrorists. This is foreign aid that promotes US national interests.”

Rubio’s visit to five countries in Central America and the Caribbean as Secretary of State, focusing on curbing illegal immigration into the United States and combating drug trafficking.

On Tuesday afternoon, after discussions with leaders from Panama, El Salvador, and Costa Rica, Rubio arrived in Guatemala. He plans to visit the Dominican Republic before Wednesday.