Spanish
SANTO DOMINGO. – The Government of the Dominican Republic formally requested the removal of the 10% base tariff currently levied on Dominican exports from the United States authorities within the framework of the DR-CAFTA Free Trade Agreement.
The information was revealed by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Mipymes, Víctor “Ito” Bisonó, during an interview on the program Encuentro Extra, hosted by journalist Cristhian Jiménez. The official explained that this request was presented to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), by an official commission headed by the Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez, the Minister of Finance, José Manuel Vicente, and himself.
You may be interested in: Embassy of the USA in DR
Asked whether the issue was discussed during President Luis Abinader's recent visit to Washington, where he met with Senator Marco Rubio and other high-ranking officials, Bisonó stated that it is "highly probable," although he clarified that it will be the president himself who will provide further details in a press conference scheduled for this Monday.
Bisonó highlighted that the Dominican delegation received a receptive response from the USTR, which classified the country as a “close partner” of the United States. “They even acknowledged that we are the sixth economy with a positive per capita trade balance in favor of the U.S.”, the minister emphasized.
Furthermore, Bisonó dismissed the existence of geopolitical or security factors, such as illegal migration, drug trafficking, or the influence of Chinese investments, behind the maintenance of the tariff, and therefore considered that there are grounds to move towards more favorable trade conditions for the country.
