The U.S. public and private sectors would be willing to come together to jointly invest in the construction of a $40 billion “Nicaragua Canal” that would rival the Panama Canal, according to a U.S. Department of Commerce official.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Walter Bastian said that he finds the project “fascinating” and that the U.S. government will follow up to see if there is interest from U.S. investors.

Bastian said Tuesday while visiting Nicaragua that for the U.S. it is important that the process of awarding contracts is transparent and that those contracts have legal certainty.

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