Interview with Dominican University Student about DR-China relations.
For my journal entry, I researched Chinese engagement in the Dominican Republic because this subject is relevant to the career field that I wish to enter. In the future, I plan to work in analyzing China’s influence within Latin America, and who knows, maybe specialize in Chinese-Dominican diplomatic relations. For my interview, I read an article by Evan Ellis of Global Americans which summarized Chinese-Dominican trade, tourism, diplomacy, and much more (2021). The article talked about how former president of the Dominican Republic, Danilo Medina, broke diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 2018 and sought to build a stronger relationship with the People’s Republic of China PCR. It also discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented the Dominican government from realizing a stronger relationship with the PCR. Moreover, the article talked about how China’s vaccine diplomacy demonstrated Dominican vulnerability to Chinese pressure.
I chose to interview my friend Lia, a local Dominican student at PCUMM, about Chinese-Dominican diplomacy. Moreover, we discussed China’s relationship with Taiwan, the Dominican Republic, and the United States. I asked her about her opinion about the previous two presidents of the Dominican Republic, as well as questions about China’s current influence within her daily life. She talked about how a lot of Chinese-Dominican own stores on the Calle del Sol where you can find very specific goods at a relatively low price. Regarding current president Abinader, she argued that he wants to have prosperous economic and diplomatic relations with both the United States and with China. She also told me about how she recognizes Taiwan as an independent nation. Lastly, Lia informed me that she has a Chinese cell phone, as do many other Dominicans
In my opinion, diplomatic relations with China are not only important in the Dominican Republic but also in the United States. Our relationship with China could be described as complex and tense. We are two global economic powerhouses competing for the same markets, and we have fairly different cultural values. I would argue that the Dominican Republic’s current approach of trying to keep China at a distance political and economic is similar to the diplomatic approach of the United States. However, in both countries, there is vulnerability to Chinese economic pressure. Overall, I believe that Lia gave me a very balanced perspective on many of the subjects that we covered during our interview. While Lia gave me a balanced perspective on my field of research, I would not say that my understanding of the political issues has changed or developed immensely since the interview.
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