Chinatown attracts investors

[NewsWhore]

The Barrio Chino (Chinatown) being constructed by the government around the Duarte Avenue commercial stretch at a cost of RD$100 million is 70% complete. Real estate in the area has increased in worth and the area is already attracting interest of investors and business persons from Asia, as reported in Diario Libre. Rosa Ng Baez, president of the Flor Foundation that heads the effort, denied that the delays in the construction have forced businesses to close. On the contrary, she says the attractiveness of the project is such that new businesses are opening. Ng says that work at the Confucius Plaza is 85% advanced, and only a few pieces are missing to complete the main entrance to the Barrio. A shipment from China with the pieces is expected by 18 July. The Ministry of Public Works recently injected RD$25 million to ensure the completion of the project by this August, as reported in the Listin. Ng explained that in addition to the funding aspect, the obsolete systems of sewage and electricity in the area have caused technical delays. Chinatown gates are located at the Mexico and Mella avenues. For the grand opening, 700 Asian investors are expected.

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