The Dominican Republic's most important trading partner is the United States (about 40% of total commercial exchange). Other major trade partners are China, Haiti, Puerto Rico, the European Union, Canada, Mexico, India, Spain, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Japan, in that quantitative order. The country exports free-trade-zone manufactured products (garments, medical devices, and so on), gold, nickel, protection equipment, bananas, liquor, cocoa beans, silver, and sauces and seasonings. It imports petroleum, industrial raw materials, capital goods, and foodstuffs. On 5 September 2005, the Congress of the Dominican Republic ratified a free trade agreement with the U.S. and five Central American countries, the Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). CAFTA-DR entered into force for the Dominican Republic on 1 March 2007. The total stock of U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) in Dominican Republic as of 2019 was U.S. $42 billion, much of it directed to the energy, tourism, real estate, manufacturing, infrastructure and the telecommunications sectors. In 2019 the foreign direct investment stock amounted to $42 billion a significant growth in the last decade and a half. In 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic foreign direct investment flows in the Dominican Republic has remained strong at $2.5 billion added to the stock in that year, growing to an estimated $44.5 billion growing more than ten-fold since 2006 when the liberalization efforts began.