The Dominican Republic sees an opportunity to strengthen its relationship with USA after the change of Administration in Washington and attracting investments key from that country, according to what the Minister of IndustryCommerce and MSMEs, Víctor Ito Bisonó Haza, who participates for the first time in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“If we work together and hand in hand we will have a greater alliance and strength,” Bisonó declared to EFE regarding the possibilities of collaboration and understanding with members of President Donald’s new government trumpdespite his threats and protectionist statements from the first days.
“In an environment where the entire world is disruptive, presents problems, whether social or political, economic, we have a stability and growth sustained,” he highlighted. “If what you are looking for is to have a presence, a investmentprofitability, security: that represents the Dominican Republic“he stated.
The Caribbean country, added the minister, “has consolidated itself with an independent justice system, with attention to training and education,” it is “the front line” for exports towards the US, has the infrastructure necessary and has a population of 11 million people – of which more than half are under 55 years old – who “are willing to join the productive processes.”
“We want to take advantage of the moment. We understand that it is the moment that the Dominican Republic give guarantees so that those investments go to Dominican Republic“he stressed.
Bisonó did not want to give excessive importance to the threatening speech of trump: “He has a strategy to speak up, sit down and then pose a negotiation“. This is what New York lawyers are said to do: “they shoot high and then sit down to negotiate.”
It is true that trump He has “a way of saying things,” but “he is a man with a lot of experienceit is known that he has four years (of mandate), that he has to advance things quickly. But we see it in a general sense with a expectation positive,” said the Dominican minister.
“What the president trump has been saying about the duty to Canada, to Mexico, and sometimes it touches on the topic of Panama, it is nothing more than seeing the investment China in the region. If you see how the exports of China to the USA have been reduced and how they have grown to the (economy) Mexican through the presence of that investment China, then you say, ‘Well, here’s something, here’s a wake-up call.'”
This desire to stop the Chinese presence places the Chinese government in a privileged position, according to Bisonó. Dominican Republic and the group of countries of the Alliance of Development and Democracy, which also includes Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador.
“If we look at those four countries together, they represent the third economy from Latin America; Mexico goes first, then Brazil and then these four countries now.”
“In these four countries, the trade balance of the USA is positive; with Mexico and Brazil it is negative. We are not producers of drugwe serve as a barrier so that it does not reach the USA. We are not the main originators of the immigrations illegal; we, on the contrary, contain it. And we are not the ones who have the greatest relationships commercial with Chinawhich is what is happening behind the curtain USA“, said.
“Besides that,” he added, “we have the closeness, the infrastructurethe resources humans to take care of the nearshoring (relocation) of those capitals Americans who come to position themselves near the coast of the USA to be sure of being able to supply (the US market) without the inconveniences of when a pandemic occurs.”
