Active Development AidData Chinese Aid

Chinese Government provides $54 million grant for National Library Construction Project (Linked to Record ID#71118)

¥54M RMB

Funder	China Ministry of Commerce
Recipient Organization	Government of El Salvador
Country	El Salvador
Start Date	Dec 03, 2019
End Date	Jan 10, 2028
Duration	2,960 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`71185`

Grant Description

On August 20, 2018, the Government of El Salvador announced that it was severing diplomatic ties with the Republic of China (‘Taiwan’) and establishing diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China (‘China’).

Then, on September 20, 2019, the Chinese Government and the Government of El Salvador signed and Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA), which committed RMB 400 million ($62.24 million) of grant funding for multiple projects (including the National Library Construction Project, the Surfcity Potable Water, Roads, and Parks Project and the Lake Ilopango Water Treatment Plant Project).

Approximately two months later, on December 3, 2019, during an official visit of President Xi Jinping to El Salvador, the Chinese Government and the Government of El Salvador signed another ETCA (see Record ID#71118), which committed an additional $500 million for multiple projects (including the National Library Construction Project, the Surfcity Potable Water, Roads, and Parks Project, the Lake Ilopango Water Treatment Plant Project, the Port of La Libertad Pier Expansion and Restoration Project, the Joya de Cerén Archaeological Site Restoration Project, and the National Stadium Construction Project).

The Chinese Government and the Government of El Salvador also signed an exchange of notes (‘canje de notas’) on the National Library Construction Project on December 3, 2019. Then, in May 2021, El Salvador’s legislative assembly ratified the September 20, 2019 ETCA.

On February 3, 2022, the President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele announced that the National Library Construction Project woudl be ‘fully paid for by the government of the People's Republic of China, there will be no compensation from the Salvadoran government’ and that the project would cost $54 million.

He also noted that the new National Library — officially known as the The Francisco Gavidia National Library (BINAES) — would house the Documentary Heritage through the General Archive of the Nation (AGN); have several additional areas, such as play areas for children, an auditorium for more than 350 people, a restaurant, areas for researchers, a terrace, a braille room, and a projection room for 200 people with the latest technology.

China Central South Architectural Design Institute Co., Ltd. (CSADI) is responsible for the design of the project and Yanjian Group Co., Ltd. is responsible for the implementation of the project.

The total construction area exceeds 23,764 square meters, of which 19,498.49 square meters correspond to the total above-ground construction area, and a total underground construction area of 4,261.01 square meters.

President Bukele has emphasized that the facilities of the new National Library will be available to Salvadorans 24 hours a day, as a complement to their professional training.

The new library will replace the old library, which was built in the 1960s to house a bank and never had the necessary infrastructure to house the national archives.

On April 8, 2021, the El Salvador Ministry of Culture reported that the contents of the old library were moved to a temporary location so that construction work on the new building could commence. At that time, construction was expected to take about two years to complete.

Then, on December 21, 2021, El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly passed special provisions in order to speed up the construction of the National Library.

Roughly six weeks later, on February 3, 2022, a groundbreaking ceremony took place, marking the beginning of construction of the new library. Chinese Ambassador Ou Jianhong and President Bukele attended the ceremony and delivered speeches. Then, on March 22, 2022, the Chinese Ambassador conducted an on-site project inspection.

On November 15, 2023 the library was officially opened. It consisted of a total of 8 floors, 24,000 square meters, and was made of concrete.

📋 Staff Comments

The September 20, 2019 ETCA (grant agreement) can be accessed in its entirety via https://www.dropbox.com/s/qnkll6xiq2b650b/E1xG-25XIAMobM6.jpeg?dl=0.
The Chinese project title is 萨尔瓦多国家图书馆项目 or 援萨尔瓦多国家图书馆项目. The Spanish project title is El proyecto de la Biblioteca Nacional, Asistencia de la Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador, and La Construcción de la Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador (BINAES) or El Proyecto Construcción y Equipamiento de la Nueva Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador Francisco Gavidia y del Archivo General de la Nación.
On January 18, 2022, Yanjian Group and the Shandong Branch of China Development Bank signed a special loan contract for the National Library Construction Project in El Salvador (see https://www.dropbox.com/s/xhhfdtez85n2bhf/%E9%9B%86%E5%9B%A2%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8%E4%B8%8E%E5%9B%BD%E5%AE%B6%E5%BC%80%E5%8F%91%E9%93%B6%E8%A1%8C%E5%B1%B1%E4%B8%9C%E7%9C%81%E5%88%86%E8%A1%8C%E7%AD%BE%E8%AE%A2%E6%8F%B4%E5%A4%96%E4%B8%93%E9%A1%B9%E8%B4%B7%E6%AC%BE%E5%90%88%E5%90%8C_%E7%83%9F%E5%BB%BA%E9%9B%86%E5%9B%A2.pdf?dl=0). The face value and borrowing terms of the loan are unknown. Nor is it known how the CDB loan relates to the MOFCOM grant for the same project. This issue warrants further investigation.
For the other projects agreed to on December 3, 2019 under an ETCA, see umbrella Project ID#71118.

📚 Sources & References

China signs on for 'gigantic' investment in El Salvador infrastructure
China to Announce Projects in El Salvador
Segundo año de relaciones entre El Salvador y China
Biblioteca Nacional cerrará sus puertas durante un año para ser modernizada - Espectáculos y cultura - Escenario
China dice que cooperación a El Salvador 'no tiene condición política'
China invertirá $40 millones en reconstrucción de Biblioteca Nacional
China offers a new library and El Salvador still without a National Reading Plan
欧箭虹大使在中国援萨国家图书馆项目奠基仪式上的致辞
欧箭虹大使同布克尔总统共同出席中国援萨国家图书馆项目奠基仪式
欧箭虹大使就中国援助萨尔瓦多国家图书馆项目接受萨官媒《萨尔瓦多日报》专访
Discurso de la Embajadora Ou Jianhong en la Ceremonia de Poner la Primera Piedra para el Proyecto de la Nueva Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador
萨尔瓦多总统出席援萨国家图书馆项目奠基仪式
Presidente Nayib Bukele oficializa el inicio de la construcción de la nueva Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador, la inversión más grande en cultura del país
Comienza traslado de la Biblioteca Nacional de cara a la construcción de un nuevo edificio
Asamblea Legislativa avala disposiciones especiales para agilizar la construcción de la Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador
Llamativo rótulo en chino en obras de biblioteca
Ratifican cooperación bilateral con China por $500 millones en obras
AsambleaSV
Twitter, gcampos_sv
Twitter, ¿Cuáles proyectos se realizarían con la cooperación de China?
Convenio de Coopercion Economica y Technica Entre El Gobierno De La Republica De El Salvador Y El Gobierno De La Republica Popular China
China makes ‘gigantic’ investment in El Salvador projects
中国援萨尔瓦多国家图书馆项目举行奠基仪式
驻萨尔瓦多大使欧箭虹就中国援助萨尔瓦多国家图书馆项目接受萨官媒《萨尔瓦多日报》专访
萨尔瓦多总统出席援萨国家图书馆项目奠基仪式, «La biblioteca representa la amistad entre dos pueblos»: Ou Jianhong, embajadora de China en El Salvador
Trabajadores denuncian violaciones a derechos laborales en la demolición de la antigua biblioteca
Asamblea Legislativa
Convenio Marco para el Establecimiento del Mecanismo de Cooperacion Bilateral para la Ejecucion de los Proyectos de Asistencia Economica y Tecnica entre el Gobierno de la Republica Popular China y el Gobierno de la Republica de El Salvador
萨尔瓦多国家图书馆
援萨尔瓦多国家图书馆项目装饰设计采购公告[发布公告]
集团公司与国家开发银行山东省分行签订援外专项贷款合同
集团公司与国家开发银行山东省分行签订援外专项贷款合同
欧箭虹大使在中国援萨国家图书馆项目奠基仪式上的致辞
欧箭虹大使走访援萨国家图书馆项目
Inauguran en El Salvador nueva Biblioteca Nacional con asistencia china
La nueva Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador y sus servicios para la población
Las construcciones del Gobierno que iniciaron sin permiso ambiental
Te compartimos una vista de pájaro de cómo luce la Nueva Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador
El Salvador celebra cinco años de relaciones diplomáticas con China, en Beijing.
El embajador de la República Popular China en El Salvador
China-aided library applauded as new cultural landmark for El Salvador Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.

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Government of El Salvador

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