“This is the moment to strengthen relations between China and the Dominican Republic and to take them to the next level,” GFDD Fellow Yuan Li says

As part of the release of the latest publication in the series, Research and Ideas, entitled, “Dominican Republic and P.R. China: Exchange, Trade, and Investment,” the Fellows Program of the GFDD/Funglode invited GFDD Fellow Yuan Li to give a special presentation of her research findings at Funglode headquarters in Santo Domingo on Friday December 11, 2015. The presentations were followed by a panel discussion with the Fellow and international policy
experts, Franklin Lithgow, Foreign Direct Investment and Business Development Consultant; Rosa Ng, Representative of the Commercial Development O­ffice of the Dominican Republic in Beijing; and Miguel Sang Ben, Economist and Professor at the Pontificia Universidad Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) in Santo Domingo. GFDD president Dr. Leonel Fernández was also present at the event.

Natasha Despotovic, GFDD Executive Director, gave the words of welcome, introduced the speakers, and
moderated the panel on behalf of GFDD. "We are honored to present this publication, as part of the series Research and Ideas, which offers the results of research projects, academic articles and intellectual speeches that address critical issues of the contemporary world from local, regional and global points of view," Despotovic said.

Fellows Program researcher, Yuan Li, presented the findings of her study, which was conducted in the fall of 2013 by collecting a large quantity of unprecedented information regarding
this topic. She interviewed high-level Dominican officials in different ministries and government agencies, leaders of Chinese chambers of commerce, representatives of Chinese firms in the Dominican Republic, as well as top economists and historians. In her presentation, Li discussed economical aspects of the relationship between China and the Dominican Republic and explained that “The Chinese residing in the Dominican Republic are a hard working minority. Therefore,
there are opportunities to strengthen the relationship between China and the Dominican Republic through Chinese diaspora.”

Franklin Lithgow, Foreign Direct Investment and Business Development Consultant, expressed his interest in Yuan Li’s publication which he thinks is too important to be misperceived. He explained that “China is not only a massive provider but also a massive consumer. We need to work side by side with
China in order to keep moving forward economically. We need to innovate and improve in order to increase our tourism and provide better products for China”.

Rosa Ng, Representative of the Commercial Development Office of the Dominican Republic in Beijing took the podium to discuss about the Chinese diaspora and how hard working and dedicated they are. She noted that “her most sincere interest is to establish a diplomatic relationship
between China and the Dominican Republic.”

Finally, Miguel Sang Ben, Economist and Professor at the Pontificia Universidad Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) made salient comments about Yuan Li’s recognized research. He explained that “China is not only a huge supplier but also a huge consumer. We have to work closely with China to continue advancing from an economic point of view. We need to innovate and improve in order to increase
our tourism and offer better products to China.”

Thanking the panelists for their in-depth presentations, Despotovic invited everyone to take part in further discussion and network to close out the successful event.

About the Fellows Program
The Fellows Program, an extension of the internship and academic exchange program InteRDom, was developed in 2009 to respond to the desire of GFDD and Funglode to
develop a community of scholars that contributes to the Foundations’ growing body of research on matters of international concern that directly impact the Dominican Republic.

The Program complements the overall mission of GFDD and Funglode to promote academic exchange, generate scholarship, and influence the creation of public policy related to economic and social development both at the national and international levels.

Through the Fellows
Program, GFDD and Funglode seek to generate scholarship on issues at the forefront of the United Nations’ agenda in order to give voice to national and regional concerns and offer viable solutions to domestic and international challenges.