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Political scientist warns that the Pentagon highlights military ties between the Dominican Republic and China
Santo Domingo. – Political scientist Juan González pointed out that the most recent report from the United States Department of Defense, titled: Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2025, highlighted that the Asian giant appointed for the first time, in 2024, a defense attaché of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at its embassy to the Dominican Republic.
“The Pentagon document indicates that, last year, China designated military attachés for the first time in countries such as Niger, Rwanda, and the Dominican Republic,” he explained. He added that, in the Dominican case, the position of Defense Attaché at the Chinese embassy was assumed by Colonel Gao Peng of the People’s Liberation Army.
The analyst indicated that, according to the Department of Defense report, the work of the PLA’s defense attachés responds to a geopolitical positioning strategy aligned with Beijing’s interests, aimed at strengthening economic ties, projecting its global approach with a view to unification with Taiwan, as well as promoting the Global Security Initiative, launched in 2022.
González recalled that military cooperation between the Dominican Republic and China began concomitantly with the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2018. He added that, in March 2019, through Decree No. 85-19, Juan Carlos Holguín Terrero, captain of the ship (colonel) of the Dominican Republic Navy (ARD), was appointed as military, naval, air and police attaché at the Dominican Embassy to the People’s Republic of China.
“In April 2019, a high-level commission headed by Huang Xueping, major general of the People’s Liberation Army, made an official visit to the country and held meetings with the then Minister of Defense, Rubén Paulino Sem, in which issues related to institutional cooperation and free military assistance were discussed,” the political scientist pointed out.
The political scientist pointed out that bilateral military cooperation has been materializing. In that sense, he highlighted that, in October 2023, the then Dominican ambassador to China, Briunny Garabito Segura, and Major General Song Yanchao, deputy director of the International Military Cooperation Office, signed the second free military assistance agreement, through which the Dominican Republic would receive 50 million yuan, equivalent to approximately seven million dollars, with a three-year execution period for the purchase of buses, minibuses and motorcycles.
“These facts reflect China’s interest in consolidating ties with the region, which has historically been sensitive for the security of the United States,” he said. In his opinion, it is not a direct deployment, but rather the application of a type of “soft power” to subtly increase its influence in the region in the military field.
He stated that, in a scenario of growing rivalry between the United States and China, the Dominican Republic must manage this military cooperation with the Asian giant with caution, moderation, and equanimity.
Finally, González emphasized that, due to geographical proximity and structural economic dependence, 50 out of every 100 dollars entering the country come from North America, whether through remittances, exports, tourism, or investment.
“In 2024, the Dominican Republic received revenue from the United States of approximately 22 billion dollars, which translated into a surplus in the balance of payments with that country. In contrast, the country recorded a high trade deficit with China in the same period, close to 94%,” he concluded.
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