BEIJING: With growing cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, the two sides are geared for closer ties to drive growth, a multilateral conference in Macao heard on Monday.
“China is willing to work together with Portuguese-speaking countries to promote broader scope and higher levels of collaboration,” Li Hongzhong, vice-chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, said at the opening ceremony of the 6th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.
“By doing so, we can contribute more robust momentum to building a closely-knit community with a shared future for humanity, injecting greater certainty and positive energy into global stability and prosperity,” said Li, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
Li said China has become one of the most important economic and trade partners for Portuguese-speaking countries since 2003, with trade between the two sides growing twentyfold.
To promote further cooperation, Li said China will support the participation of enterprises from Portuguese-speaking countries in important exhibitions such as the China International Import Expo, while helping Chinese expand imports.
Efforts will also be made to improve agriculture in Portuguese-speaking countries, including through scientific research projects and laboratories, and to help those in Africa formulate economic development plans.
Li said China will provide government scholarships and 3,000 training opportunities for students studying in China.
Three hundred medical personnel will assist in healthcare in Asian and African Portuguese-speaking countries with traditional Chinese medicine centers to be set up where conditions permit.
The forum was initiated by the Chinese government in 2003, in conjunction with a number of Portuguese-speaking countries. It now includes all nine countries where Portuguese is an official language. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
