2nd Ld Writethru: Dominican Republic establishes diplomatic ties with China

SANTO DOMINGO, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Dominican Republic's government late Monday announced that it established diplomatic ties with China.

The decision was made with the conviction that the bilateral relationship will be positive for the future of the Caribbean nation, presidential adviser Flavio Dario Espinal told reporters at a press conference.

Dominican political and economic sectors were fully consulted before the government made the decision, which was mainly based on the "needs, potential and future outlook" of the Dominican people, he said.

"With this goal, Foreign Affairs Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado and the presidency's Administrative Minister, Jose Ramon Peralta, are in Beijing today to sign a joint communique, establishing diplomatic ties between our countries," Espinal added.

News of the diplomatic development was being simultaneously announced at a public event in Beijing, where it was already early Tuesday.

The statement said the Caribbean country, which has cut its diplomatic relations with Taiwan, recognized that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is "an inalienable part of the Chinese territory."

It said that even without formal diplomatic ties with China before, China has already become its second largest supplier of imported products, with bilateral trade volume amounting to around 2 billion U.S. dollars a year.

Citing the fact that the Dominican Republic is China's second largest trade partner in the Caribbean and Central American region, Espinal said the growth potential between the two countries is immense.

The coming months and years will see increasing opportunities for cooperation, not just in trade, but also in finance, technology, tourism, education and energy, he added. Enditem