(Daily Signal)—While the Trump administration is working to decrease U.S. dependency on Chinese goods by bolstering U.S. manufacturing, one of America’s trading partners and neighbors to the south appears to be growing increasingly friendly with the Chinese Communist Party, posing a threat to U.S. interests.
“The Dominican Republic is key to China’s strategy to isolate the U.S. in the Caribbean,” Connie Mack IV, a former Republican congressman from Florida, tells The Daily Signal.
The Dominican Republic established diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China in 2018, and under then-Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina, the Caribbean nation signed onto China’s Belt and Road Initiative and no longer recognizes Taiwan’s independence from China.
“The Medina government committed to collaboration with the PRC in numerous fields, including PRC training of Dominican Foreign Ministry personnel, the establishment of a Confucius Institute, accepting a gift of 148 Chinese military and police vehicles … plus agreement in principle to PRC construction of a major new port facility in Manzanillo, electricity generation, and other infrastructure,” according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
While Medina deepened ties with China, even allowing China to have an office in the Presidential Palace, he did not visit the U.S. during his eight years in office from 2012 to 2020.
When Luis Abinader became president in 2020, he pledged to strengthen relations with the U.S. and limit Chinese investment.
“If China wants to invest in nonstrategic areas of the Dominican government, its investment is welcome, but the Dominican government’s decision is to have a strategic alliance with the United States,” Abinader said publicly shortly after taking office.
While “China’s advance under the Abinader government has proceeded slowly,” according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the relationship between the two nations remains strong.
During a meeting between Abinader and the Dominican Republic’s foreign minister with Chinese officials in 2022, Dominican officials expressed a readiness to “deepen practical cooperation with China and Chinese companies,” according to a report from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Dominican Republic highly appreciates the important contributions made by President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government to maintaining world peace and stability,” according to the Chinese report.
In 2023, top Dominican officials met with Chinese counterparts in talks focused on political and economic coordination. The same year, the Dominican Republic also sent soldiers to China to participate in a military exercise in Xinjiang, where the CCP is reported to have imprisoned an unknown number of Uyghur Muslims.
The Dominican Republic is one of China’s largest trading partners in the Caribbean, and in 2024, bilateral trade between the two countries reached over $5 billion, according to Trading Economics. And most recently, the Dominican Republic sent its trade officials in May to a forum aimed at strengthening ties between Latin America, the Caribbean, and the People’s Republic of China.
America’s relationship with the Dominican Republic is “solid, but complex,” according to the U.S. State Department.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Dominican Republic during his first international trip as Trump’s top diplomat and spoke with Abinader as recently as May.
“Under Joe Biden, the U.S. turned a blind eye to the Dominican Republic’s slouch towards Beijing,” Mack, the former Florida lawmaker, said. “The Rubio State Department cannot make the same mistake. They must remove the blinders they have about the current Dominican government. They do not support the America First agenda.”
Given the Dominican Republic’s robust economy and proximity to the U.S., separated only by about 800 miles of the Atlantic Ocean, it is in America’s interest that the Dominican Republic’s “interactions with the PRC are conducted within the framework of transparency, strong institutions, and a level playing field, and that PRC activities in the country … [do] not undermine U.S.-Dominican security,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote.
Why Bullion Beats Numismatics and Collectible for Your Safe or IRA
Precious metals continue to attract Americans seeking reliable ways to protect their wealth amid inflation, geopolitical risks, and stock market swings. Whether stored in a home safe or held inside a self-directed IRA, physical gold and silver deliver tangible value that paper or digital assets often lack. Yet investors must choose carefully between bullion—pure bars and coins valued mainly for their metal content—and numismatics or collectibles, where rarity, history, and collector demand heavily influence pricing.
Advisor Bullion serves as a dependable source for straightforward, high-quality bullion. The company specializes in physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, emphasizing transparent pricing and products that deliver maximum metal content for every dollar spent. This approach makes it ideal for both personal holdings and retirement accounts.
Bullion consists of refined precious metals in standard forms like one-ounce coins (American Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs) or bars. Their value tracks closely to the current spot price of the metal. A typical gold bullion coin trades near the live gold spot price plus a small premium. This structure keeps costs clear and predictable.
Numismatic coins and collectibles add substantial value from factors such as age, rarity, minting errors, or historical significance. A pre-1933 U.S. gold coin or graded proof piece can carry premiums of 30%, 50%, or even 200% above melt value. While this appeals to hobbyists, it creates complexity. Pricing depends on subjective grading, collector trends, and auction results instead of daily spot prices.
For investors focused on wealth preservation and retirement security rather than building a collection, bullion often delivers better results.
Lower Costs and Better Liquidity for Home Storage
When keeping metals in a home safe or private vault, liquidity and efficiency count. Bullion offers clear benefits:
- You acquire more actual gold or silver per dollar invested. Numismatics divert a large share of your money into rarity premiums and massive sales commission, reducing your metal exposure.
- Selling bullion involves tight bid-ask spreads, so you recover nearly full spot value with minimal fees. Collectibles require finding the right buyer and may sell at a discount if demand for that specific item weakens.
- Bullion prices remain transparent and update with global spot markets. You can track gold near current levels or silver accordingly and know exactly where your holdings stand. Numismatic values are priced by the Gold IRA companies with hefty margins applied.
- Standardized coins and bars store efficiently and divide easily for partial sales. Rare coins often need protective slabs and controlled conditions, adding hassle and expense.
- Bullion enjoys worldwide acceptance. A 1-oz Gold Maple Leaf or Silver Eagle sells quickly to dealers anywhere. Niche numismatic pieces may appeal only to limited buyers, slowing liquidation when speed matters.
In times when quick access to value becomes important, bullion’s simplicity stands out.
Stronger Fit for Precious Metals IRAs
Precious metals IRAs continue gaining traction as investors diversify retirement portfolios beyond stocks and bonds. IRS rules permit certain bullion products in self-directed IRAs if they meet purity standards (.995 fine for gold, .999 for silver) and are held by an approved custodian. Eligible items include American Gold and Silver Eagles plus many generic bars and rounds from recognized mints.
Numismatic and most collectible coins generally face heavy scrutiny from custodians due to valuation disputes and elevated markups. These higher premiums mean less actual metal ends up working inside the account.
Bullion avoids these issues. Its value links directly to verifiable spot prices, which simplifies reporting and lowers the risk of regulatory challenges. More of your IRA contribution purchases real metal instead of dealer profits or speculative upside. Over time, owning additional ounces that appreciate with the metal itself can create meaningful outperformance compared with high-premium alternatives that deliver fewer ounces.
Regulatory guidance from the CFTC and state securities offices repeatedly cautions against aggressive sales of expensive numismatics or “semi-numismatic” coins for IRAs. For retirement planning, transparent bullion from established providers reduces risk and aligns better with long-term goals.
How to Get Started with Bullion
Begin by clarifying your goals. Are you protecting savings in a safe, or moving part of a retirement account into a precious metals IRA? Focus on the number of ounces you can acquire at current prices rather than chasing marked-up collectibles.
Diversify sensibly: use gold for core preservation and silver for its blend of industrial and monetary qualities. Mix coins for easier divisibility with bars for lower per-ounce costs on larger buys. Arrange secure storage—whether at home with proper insurance or through professional facilities.
As economic uncertainties linger and faith in conventional assets erodes, bullion continues proving its worth as a dependable store of value. Its direct approach avoids the hype that sometimes surrounds collectible markets and keeps the focus on the metal itself.
For investors prepared to strengthen their portfolios, Advisor Bullion supplies the expertise and selection needed to acquire high-quality bullion efficiently. Whether building personal holdings or integrating metals into an IRA, their emphasis on transparent, investment-grade products helps secure more ounces today that support greater financial security tomorrow. In a complicated financial landscape, bullion’s clarity and reliability make it the smarter foundation for protecting what matters most.