Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas was in Puerto Rico on 8 July 2019. There he met Puerto Rico Secretary of State Luis Rivera Marin and together they signed a joint resolution asking the United States to release the Dominican imported steel from paying the present 25% tariff.
The joint action comes after on 8 March 2019 the US Congress approved an amendment to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 that allows the US President to adjust tariffs on articles that threaten US security. Among these articles is steel. The joint resolution warns that the duty increases the cost of recovery projects executed by the Puerto Rican government after Hurricane Maria.
The text highlights that Puerto Rico imported US$55.8 million in steel from the Dominican Republic in 2018. The amount, though, is barely equivalent to 0.01% of the total imported by the United States. Therefore, Dominican steel imports do not represent a threat to the security of that country.
Rivera Marin explained that while the percentage seems low, it has a significant economic impact because Puerto Rico is the largest buyer of Dominican-made steel products.
The resolution highlights the historical ties between the two peoples, in which there is a mutual interest in strengthening trade relations and intensifying cooperation, as well as the economic and commercial relationship of both countries with the United States.
Read more in Spanish:
Ministry of Foreign Relations
9 July 2019