U.S. Praises Dominican Republic For Shutting Down Chinese-Run Cardboard Factory
SANTO DOMINGO — Sociedad Media reports that Juan Pablo Segura, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, publicly commended Dominican authorities on X on November 9 for closing Cartesa, a Chinese-run cardboard factory in San Antonio de Guerra, Santo Domingo province.
The October 29 operation, led by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs with Migration and Housing officials, cited missing permits, a clandestine fuel depot (a 5,000-liter tank and about 1,000 gallons of diesel), construction violations, and labor breaches including unpaid overtime and a breach of the Dominican-to-foreign worker ratio.
The case fits Washington’s broader concern about Chinese commercial influence in the Caribbean, while noting that the U.S. post is a statement of support rather than a policy change and that the findings are the government’s account, with no court ruling reported.
Exxon Signs Preliminary Pact With Venezuela’s PDVSA, a Return After Almost Two Decades
CARACAS — We also report that ExxonMobil has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA to explore upstream opportunities, marking the company’s first formal return since the government of then-President Hugo Chávez seized its assets in 2007.
The agreement commits Exxon to no specific project, and neither side has said which fields or terms are under discussion. Exxon called it “a meaningful first step” but said future investment would require stable policies, strong investor protections and competitive returns, while acting President Delcy Rodríguez welcomed the deal.
The article also notes that Exxon’s $1.6 billion ICSID award from 2014 remains disputed, and it frames the deal as a political win for Trump’s push to bring American companies into Venezuela’s energy sector.
State Department Officials Undermine Washington’s Support For El Salvador’s Haiti Operations
MIAMI — Citing an Axios scoop, State Department officials reportedly have objections to El Salvador’s military operations in Haiti, centering on whether Salvadoran troops are coordinating with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force.
The piece details a reported text from U.S. chargé d’affaires David Howell to Haiti’s prime minister and a November 5 diplomatic note alleging Salvadoran small-arms fire struck the U.S. Embassy compound, which El Salvador categorically denies.
U.S. State Department adds that the criticism has not been confirmed as official U.S. policy, that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have publicly expressed support and appreciation for El Salvador’s role, and that open questions remain over who authorized the note, the casualty count, and who commands the non-GSF Salvadoran troops.
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