President Fernandez says the Dominican Republic does not have the raw materials China craves.

Officials in Taipei have become a little nervous about the future of ties with a handful of nations in Latin America and the Caribbean since Costa Rica turned to China last week.

Diplomats have said that Costa Rica's decision to switch its diplomatic recognition could trigger a domino effect in the region.

Some of Taiwan's allies in the region are being aggressively courted by Beijing.

But the Dominican President Leonel Fernandez said his country was not planning to switch to China.

The Dominican Republic has had diplomatic ties with Taiwan for almost five decades.

Mr Fernandez said the commercial interests of his country continue to lie with Taiwan, which China considers Taiwan to be a renegade province.

Bilateral Trade

He said the Dominican Republic did not have the raw materials the Chinese economy craves.

China has had a trade mission in Santo Domingo since the late 1980s.

Government figures show that bilateral trade with China amounted to $500 million in 2006, compared with $80 million with Taiwan.

There has been no indication that Taiwan's other Caribbean allies are considering a switch.

Those which have ties with Taiwan are St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, Belize and its newest partner, St. Lucia.