China-DR agreements long on text, short on substance

Beijing.- President Danilo Medina on Fri. held a work meeting with China counterpart, Xi Jinping, and were honorary witnesses in the signing of agreements in various areas.

Long on text but short on substance, the announced agreements don’t include specific figures on ambitious joint projects, such as the much-touted Santo Domingo-Santiago railway

A statement from the Presidency lists the agreements and MOUs signed by the two nations:

• Agreement to suppress visas: official and diplomatic passports will not require a visa to enter the Dominican Republic or China.
• MOU between the Presidency and the Public Security Research Center of the University of Tsingua.
• MOU and Cooperation to train human resources: support to offer courses to Dominicans.
• MOU for sports cooperation.
• Civil Aviation cooperation agreement.
• MOU between the Finance Ministry and the Development Bank of China.
• MOU between the Finance Ministry and the Import and Export Bank of China, on cooperation mechanisms.
• MOU for facilities to export of Dominican tobacco to China. Also on China’s support so for Dominican Republic to comply with animal and plant health measures.

It’s Medina’s first state visit after Santo Domingo and Beijing established diplomatic relations, which aim to identify win-win opportunities for growth and cooperation.