I would stay away from Chinese tires. You are better off spending a little more and getting a better quality. As you well know, tires in the DR take a beating and that is the only thing between you and the road. I once bought a tire made in Canada and it was a very good quality and the price wasn't bad. Sorry, can't remember the mfgr. name. Don't buy cheap tires you are throwing away money. The other thing to look for when buying in the DR is the date on the tire. If it is an older date the tires have been sitting in a warehouse somewhere and the quality is no long the same as when they were fairly new.
If your post was dated maybe 2003, it might be true.
But in 2018 the statement is no longer accurate. To assume that Chinese tire buyers are not as concerned about safety as North Americans is a silly prejudice.
Quality of Chinese products has made quantum leaps right before our eyes in virtually every category.
Tires are no different. Most manufacturers buy production equipment from the same vendors as "name brands", and that equipment is often not made in the US. They buy raw materials from the same vendors. They have pirated industrial process engineers and consultants from the name brands to oversee production. They employ and are judged by ISO9001 standards, just like the "name brands."
Most electronics are now made in China and few complain about quality---including Apple fanbois.
Harley and Piaggio have their parts made in China and few have quality issues with them. Michelin, Goodyear, Yokohama and Continental are all there building tires in China, and Pirelli’s biggest factory is located there. Expensive Sony TV's are made in China.
I'm on my fourth set of Chinese tires on my SUV and E350 van (van LT tire pressure: 75psi) with *zero* issues after many tens of thousands of miles in the roughest of conditions in the DR. And I am a serious gearhead and know machines with wheels, wings, keels and transoms...including tires.
Buying a brand of Chinese tires produced in an ISO9001 factory is not throwing your money away. You just aren't paying for union wages and job rules, onerous environmental regulations, SEC and gubmint compliance costs, enemy-from-within HR departments and other expensive components embedded in every product.
The Chinese tires mentioned in this thread are DOT certified if US gubmint approval is important to you. Each is rated for traction, heat and wear. One can use these ratings in their purchase choices.
FWIW, a good friend from high school is an industrial engineer whose bulk of his consulting work is with Chinese tire manufacturers who are copying US technology and equipment, particularly from Firestone, under joint agreements.
But, as usual, opinions vary, some with more knowledge than others.
