LatinNews Daily - 19 October 2026

*The Dominican Republic’s foreign minister, Víctor Bisonó, has met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington where the two discussed continued collaboration under a cooperation framework signed last month on critical minerals, to “advance concrete investment in the mining sector”, according to a US State Department press release. The two also discussed “deepening security cooperation against the cartels and narco-terrorist groups that threaten our hemisphere”. The Dominican Republic’s government led by President Luis Abinader is a close ally of the US administration led by President Donald Trump and has signed up to initiatives such as the US-led Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C). While no further specifics were provided regarding the discussions that took place, the meeting comes as the Dominican government is seeking to reassure rice producers after repealing a decree in September which had imposed tariffs on US rice imports. This comes as the US and Dominican Republic launched talks last month regarding tariffs, among other issues. Like much of the region, the Dominican Republic is facing US tariffs, including those stemming from Trump’s 10%-12.5% tariff package announced in July. On 16 October the Abinader government announced various actions for rice producers in response to concerns about the repeal of the decree. These include subsidies for certified seeds and fertilisers, preferential-rate financing through Banco Agrícola, a state-owned development bank that provides financial products and credit solutions to agricultural and rural producers, agricultural insurance, and maintenance of irrigation and drainage systems.

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