Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Dominican Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas on Friday called on the two sides to work on a blueprint for the bilateral relations and earnestly boost the bilateral cooperation in all respects.
The two foreign ministers met in Santo Domingo on Friday, about four months after the People's Republic of China and the Dominican Republic established formal diplomatic relations.
Wang said in the meeting that the two sides have been working together on setting up for the diplomatic affairs between them in the several months since then, with significant progress, which makes "a good beginning."
He said that the decision of the Dominican Republic to establish formal diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China makes it one of the 178 countries to have official diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and pledge commitment to the one-China policy.
It is a decision in the interests of the two peoples and in line with the trends of the era, the senior Chinese diplomat said.
Wang said that the Chinese side appreciates the moves of the Dominican Republic in fulfilling its pledges upon the establishment of official diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. The two countries can start with political trust and build upon it only with consistent adherence to the one-China policy. This will, in turn, provide a solid political base for boosting the mutually-beneficial cooperation.
The Chinese diplomat called on the two sides to work on a blueprint for the bilateral relations and earnestly boost practical cooperations in various fields under the guidance of the directions outlined by the heads of state.
Wang said that the Dominican Republic has unique advantages to join its efforts with the cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative as the development initiative is extended to Latin America.
China looks forward to the Dominican Republic playing an important role participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, which will inject fresh impetus in the mutually-beneficial cooperation, he said.
The Belt and Road Initiative is a development initiative proposed and led by China aimed at boosting the development along the ancient Silk Road on both land and sea by strengthening the infrastructural links. It is conceptualized as an initiative based on consensus and all countries are welcome to join their development efforts with the initiative.
Wang said that, in accordance with the development needs of the Dominican Republic, China is willing to further the bilateral cooperation in sectors such as electricity, port and infrastructure, and encourage Chinese enterprises to increase their investments in these sectors.
