SANTO DOMINGO, May 2 (Xinhua) -- The Dominican Republic has reached a milestone in its foreign policy by establishing diplomatic ties with China, a senator of the Caribbean country said.

"We could say we made it," said Senator Charles Mariotti, who is president of the senate's Industries, Commerce and Free Trade Zones Commission.

Mariotti recalled that in 2012, Dominican President Danilo Medina, soon after taking office, instructed him to travel to China to discuss the possibility of forging diplomatic ties.

Those early measures paid off when the two countries signed a joint communique in Beijing Tuesday (local time) on the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relationship.

The decision will secure Medina's place in history books as the head of state who succeeded in consolidating ties with a country that the Dominican Republic needs, Mariotti said.

The new relationship is expected to boost bilateral cooperation in a range of areas, including infrastructure, trade, tourism, environment, energy, technology and security.

"With China, we have a lot to talk about -- rail transportation, ports, hydroelectric plants ..." Mariotti said.

China has become the Dominican Republic's second largest source of imports. Data from the Chinese Customs show bilateral trade was worth some 1.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, an increase of 10.3 percent from the previous year.

Together, the two countries should work to strike a balance in the commercial relationship, while the Dominican Republic should improve its legal framework, Mariotti said.

"We have to continue to make progress on our agenda to make it easier to do business. The Dominican Republic has a great challenge ahead and that is to strengthen the legal security so that Chinese investors and all others who come feel confident about investing in the country," the lawmaker added.

The island should also prepare for a rise in the number of tourists from China by diversifying the industry, he said, mentioning, in particular, his country's culinary culture.

"Now we have to ... mentalize and interiorize that we have to prepare ourselves for the interchange that will begin with this great nation," said Mariotti.