Dominican Republic: Foreign Relations

The Dominican Republic pursues a foreign policy that is pragmatic and closely aligned with the United States, its largest trading partner and the principal market for its exports under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). The country belongs to the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and the Central American Integration System (SICA), and it has maintained diplomatic relations with China rather than Taiwan since switching recognition in 2018.

Relations with neighboring Haiti, with which the Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola, remain the country's most sensitive foreign policy challenge. As of 2026, the Dominican government continues construction of a border fence and has intensified deportations of undocumented Haitian migrants amid ongoing instability in Haiti, a posture that has drawn criticism from international human rights organizations even as Dominican officials describe it as a matter of national security and border management.

As of 2026, the Dominican Republic has deepened security and health cooperation with the United States, including a memorandum of understanding signed in May 2026 to temporarily host third-country nationals under U.S. migration arrangements, and a five-year bilateral health agreement directing tens of millions of dollars toward combating HIV/AIDS and other public health threats. U.S. diplomatic engagement with both the Dominican Republic and Haiti has focused heavily on stabilizing the shared border and addressing the region's migration pressures.