Yuan Li: “Chinese influence in the Dominican Republic is significant”

Under the series “Research and Ideas”, GFDD launched the book "Dominican Republic and P.R. China: Exchange, Trade, and Investment", in which researcher Yuan Li demonstrates through data and analysis the extent of Chinese economic influence in the Dominican Republic, including trade relationships, economic activity of the Chinese diaspora in the country, foreign direct investment, and policy recommendations to maximize the benefits of
these relationships. The event was held at GFDD Washington DC’s office and started with the presentation of GFDD’s institutional video. Maria Victoria Abreu, GFDD’s International Affairs and Socio-Economic Development Program Manager gave the opening regards and introduced the speaker and the special guest.

Yuan Li, who compiled her research during a fellowship in the Dominican Republic as part of GFDD’s Fellows Program, thanked GFDD/Funglode for the opportunity and the very efficient and broad network that supported her research in the country. Li said that the lack of research and information on the Chinese presence in the Caribbean inspired her to embark on this project. “There is a great potential for Dominican
tourism and Dominican products with the Chinese community both in China and in other countries in the United States”, expressed Li. She presented her key findings and conclusions and interacted with the audience in a Q&A session at the end of the program.

Li’s presentation was followed by insightful comments by Margaret Myers, Program Director
of the China and Latin America Program at Inter-American Dialogue, who provided a very interesting regional perspective. “Li’s research is very informed and provides an accurate and diverse perspective”, said Myers, who also noticed the lack of in-depth investigations or studies on this topic.

About Yuan Li
Ms. Yuan Li is a young professional in the field of International Development. Her work focuses on the
areas of development finance, governance, and South-South cooperation, with regional orientation towards Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and Africa. She has conducted research projects in various countries in Africa and LAC, analyzing the economic and political engagement of China in these regions. She currently works at the Inter-American Development Bank on institutional capacity strengthening and promoting good governance in LAC. She holds a Master’s degree in
International Development and International Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from Renmin University of China. She is fluent in Chinese, English, and Spanish.

About Margaret Myers
Ms. Margaret Myers is the director of the China and Latin America Program at the Inter-American Dialogue. She established the Dialogue’s
China and Latin America Working Group in 2011 to examine China’s growing presence in Latin America and the Caribbean. Myers also developed the China-Latin America Finance Database, the only publicly available source of empirical data on Chinese lending to Latin America, in cooperation with Boston University’s Global Economic Governance Initiative (GEGI). She has vast experience in Latin American-Chinese relations.

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. http://www.drfellowsprogram.org