Nationals from Taiwan and Popular China are working together to create Chinatown in the Duarte Avenue and Benito Gonzalez Street area of Santo Domingo. The expanded area would include nearby streets the Mexico and Mella avenues and Jacinto de la Concha and Jose Marti that are also already popular for Chinese food and articles. The program calls for enhancements such as a large arch and signs in Chinese. There are plans for a pedestrian area, too. Rosa Ng, a daughter of Chinese immigrants, is the leading promoter of the project that has the support of Santo Domingo Major Roberto Salcedo and the Ministry of Tourism. She estimates the project could get started with a US$3.5 million investment. The investment in real estate would be less than one would expect, because already most of the buildings in the area are owned by persons of Chinese descent that would join in the effort.
She explained the goal is for the Santo Domingo Chinatown to become a large shopping area but at the same time a tourism attraction for Dominicans and tourists alike. It would be a central point for the Chinese community in the DR. She estimates that the Chinese colony in the DR is about 15,000 strong.