Diplomatic boost

Cigar manufacturers in the Dominican Republic are anticipating greater sales in the wake of their country’s diplomatic recognition of China, according to a report in The Global Times.
“China has a significant consumer market and it will be very beneficial for the Dominican Republic, for products like coffee, rum and Dominican cigars,” Joaquin Cambeiro Oreiro, manager of Caoba Cigars Group, was quoted as saying.
“We think that in China … there are consumers, numbering in the millions, who smoke cigars,” he added.
In 2017, Dominican cigar and cigarette exports to China amounted to $863,265, according to the country’s customs agency.
“Many local companies have been visited by Chinese delegations and they are highly motivated,” said Juan Francisco Caraballo, director of the Dominican Tobacco Institute.