El Siglo newspaper reported that the Dominican Republic continues to be by far the leading trade partner of the United States in the Caribbean. According to a U.S. government report, the Dominican Republic carried out 44.4% of transactions between the United States and the 22 Caribbean Basin nations. Caribbean Basin trade with the United States reached US$18,579 million in 1997, of which the DR carried out US$8,257 million. Trade between the US and DR grew 22% from 1996 to 1997. Trade in general with the Caribbean grew 14.5%. Exports to the US from the Caribbean grew from US$8,909 million in 1996 to US$10,426 million in 1997. Dominican exports increased from US$3,183 million in 1996 to US$3,928 million in 1997, or 19%. Imports from the United States increased from US$3,575 million in 1996 to US$4,329 million in 1997, up 17.5%. The Dominican Republic is the United States’ 38th most important trading partner. Principal imports from the US are clothing, electrical appliances and equipment, machinery, vehicles, optical instruments, paper, plastics, wood, food products, shoes. The principal goods the DR exports to the US are tobacco, cigars, sugar, cocoa, and items manufactured at industrial free zone products. The Caribbean Basin nations are Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Bahamas, Haiti, French Guyana, Netherlands Antilles, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Aruba, Surinam, Guyana, St. Lucia, Antigua, Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Turks & Caicos Islands, Guadeloupe, St. Vincent, Grenada, St. Kitts, Nevis, Dominica, Martinique and Anguilla.
