US government alerts on Chinese industries and loans
Acting US ambassador in the Dominican Republic, Robert Copley, alerted the Dominican Republic to the poor track record in transparency, environmental and labor and local community development associated with Chinese investments and loans in other parts of the world. Reportedly, Copley met with President Danilo Medina on Thursday, 17 May 2018, for an hour when he expressed the official concern and “disappointment” on the Dominican establishing relations with China last month. The meeting occurred after the Dominican Republic severed 77-year old relations with Taiwan as a condition to sign a formal agreement with China.
The diplomatic ties request was signed in China by Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas and Administrative Minister of the Presidency Jose Ramon Peralta.
Copley said the position of the United States is that it respects the right of the Dominican Republic to establish relations with another country. However, the US government feels the timing was off. He also expressed concern that the country could take on loans that could affect the Dominican environment, labor and communities.
Copley remarked on issues with the track record of Chinese investments in Latin America and Africa.
Responding to the ambassador’s remarks, China Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lu Kang, said, in a press conference on 18 May 2018, since the US established relations with China in 1979, it is difficult understand why the US government wants to prevent other countries from entering into formal relations with the Chinese government.
He said: “China stands ready to develop friendly cooperative relations with other countries around the world on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the one-China principle. Since last year, China has established diplomatic ties with Panama and the Dominican Republic. It once again demonstrates that the one-China principle has been universally acknowledged and endorsed by the international community. As a principle of righteousness, it corresponds with the will of the people and the irresistible trend of the times.
“We are strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the above-mentioned remarks by the US side. The US established diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China in 1979 and acknowledged in the three China-US Joint Communiques that there is only one China in the world and that the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole China. So, it baffles us as to why the US side wants to prevent other countries from recognizing the one-China principle and normalizing relations with the People’s Republic of China? We urge the US side to abide by the one-China principle, honor the clauses and its commitments in the three China-US Joint Communiques, refrain from making irresponsible remarks at other countries’ decisions to develop ties with China, and stop exploiting cross-Straits relations to interfere in China’s internal affairs.”
In the Dominican Republic, the Chinese commercial representative Fu Xinrong said the Copley statement is an intromission into Dominican affairs and irresponsible comment.
Prior to the signing of full-fledged diplomatic relations, Chinese investment in the Dominican Republic was already growing with several new companies beginning operations.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
May 22, 2018
Category: DR News |