Dominican gov. cozies up to China but coddles the US

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican government is about to embark on the first official mission to China, with president Danilo Medina’s visit, according to the Dominican Govt. website.

It said the president will arrive November 2 to the Asian nation and will maintain an “intense agenda that we expect will be very productive” with Chinese government officials, including a meeting with president Xi Jinping and other authorities.

Part of the agenda includes the inauguration of the Dominican embassy in Beijing.

Balancing act with the US

On Mon. Foreign minister Miguel Vargas stressed the strong Dominican-US ties, especially on trade.

In that regard U.S. ambassador Robin Bernstein cited the long history between both nations, which she hopes will continue.

“We respect the sovereignty of each country to make their own decisions,” said the diplomat when asked about Beijing-Santo Domingo relations, a decision that prompted the US State Dept. to call her for consultation just a day after assuming the post in September.

The diplomat said she will work hard on security, human rights and the economy, on which “the Dominican government is doing a phenomenal job on these issues.”

Objectives of Medina’s visit

With the China visit, the Government’s goal is to ink cooperation agreements in areas such as tourism, agriculture and free zones.