DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

After severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of the People’s Republic of China on 18 May 2018, trade between China and the Dominican Republic has indeed expanded—but with minimal benefits for the Caribbean nation.

Diario Libre reports that from 2020 to 2024, bilateral trade exceeded US$22.4 billion, citing statistics from the Dominican Export and Investment Center (ProDominicana). Yet, the bulk of that figure stems from Chinese exports flooding the Dominican market. The resulting trade deficit has ballooned to nearly US$20 billion over that period, exposing a relationship that many now see as one-sided.

Imports from China soared by almost 78% in four years, reaching US$5.2 billion in 2024, up from US$2.9 billion in 2020. These imports include a wide range of products—over 5,000 in total—led by laptops and tablets (US$616.9 million), smartphones (US$607.7 million), and...