The president of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, got a king’s welcome in Beijing Wednesday, as the photos above show, and it’ll create heartburn in some corners of Latin America as a result.

Hardly any Latin American presidents get the kind of reception in China that Arias is getting.

On Wednesday, a full color guard greeted him in front of the Great Hall of the People, and President Hu Jintao was at his elbow. Arias is meeting with Premier Wen Jiabao and Wu Bangguo, the head of the National People’s Congress, on Thursday. Together, these are the three highest leaders in China’s Communist Party.

So why is a little Central American country, population four million, getting such a grand reception? For starters, Costa Rica on June 1 ditched Taiwan and launched diplomatic relations with mainland China.

The photos above convey a strong message: Recognize China, and this is how we’ll treat you.

Taiwan later complained that Costa Rica was given an “astronomical figure” of aid by China to flip-flop. That’s life in the big leagues, boys.

Who would be upset by Costa Rica’s royal treatment? For starters, plenty of other Latin presidents don’t get this kind of reception in Beijing. But Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez is likely to be particularly irked. Last time he was in Beijing, President Hu refused to see him. Premier Wen met with him, and there was no huge color guard. That’s because China wisely doesn’t want Washington to think it’s siding with its nemesis in Caracas. Hugo was thinking about coming again to Beijing this autumn. But the Chinese balked, and wouldn’t promise a meeting with Hu. Chavez is now aiming for the spring. But I wouldn’t bet on a big Chavez-Hu meeting despite Venezuela’s promises of major oil shipments to China.

Adding spice to the situation, Arias happens to be one of Chavez’s most vociferous and articulate opponents in Latin America. He’s arriving in Beijing after winning a major vote in San Jose from his citizens in support of a negotiated free-trade agreement with the U.S. Chavez hates the idea of free trade with the U.S.

There also happen to be 60,000 Chinese-descended Costa Ricans in the country Arias rules, and trade is soaring. Already, China is Costa Rica’s second-largest trade partner, behind the U.S.