Weekly Report - 27 September 2018 (WR-18-38)

The Dominican Republic has formally established diplomatic relations with mainland China following its decision in May to break off its longstanding relations with Taiwan. China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, visited the country for the first time on 21 September to mark the start of bilateral diplomatic relations with the opening of a new embassy in Santo Domingo. The Dominican government justified the shift of diplomatic allegiance from Taipei to Beijing on economic reasons. But the move has been questioned by the US government and could affect the country’s relations with the world’s largest economy.