Xi welcomes Dominican Republic president with full honour guard
3,565 views · Published 7 November 2018 · 3:09 · Indexed 27 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(2 Nov 2018) China rolled out the red carpet Friday for the second time this week for a Latin American leader whose country recently switched its allegiance from Taipei to Beijing. President Danilo Medina of the Dominican Republic met with Chinese President Xi Jinping after a formal welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People. It was the first time a leader of the Dominican Republic visited China. Ministers from the two countries later signed 18 agreements in a ceremony, including on aviation and transportation, economy and trade, China's "Belt and Road" initiative, and visa policies. The summit came one day after a similar ceremony and meeting for Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren. Both El Salvador and the Dominican Republic broke their diplomatic ties with Taiwan earlier this year. They are among a number of countries that have established or resumed relations with China in recent years. Beijing has been stepping up diplomatic and economic pressure on those that recognise Taiwan since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016. Beijing's aggressiveness is largely driven by Tsai's refusal to endorse the "One-China" principle, which maintains that Taiwan is part of China and that the Communist Party-ruled administration in Beijing is China's sole legitimate government. Only 17 mainly small, developing countries still recognise Taiwan as a sovereign nation. Taiwan split from mainland China during a civil war in 1949. China considers the self-governing island to be part of its territory. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/421c25d3c7695b56eafccb13a59e955c
