The Dominican Republic appointed its first ambassador to China on Tuesday, after switching diplomatic ties from Taiwan in April. The envoy is Briunny Garabito Segura, who has previously served as ambassador to Colombia and Canada.
Until April, the Dominican Republic was among just a handful of countries that recognized Taiwan. China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since 1949 but Beijing views the island as a renegade province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. "The Dominican Republic could not go on without having relations with the world's second largest economy," President Danilo Medina said at the time of the change.
China already had a commercial office in Santo Domingo and established an embassy on May 21, although it has yet to designate an ambassador. China is the Dominican Republic's second biggest trading partner, after the United States.