Araujo, deputy mayor of Porto, Portugal's second largest city, said recently that China is a country with deep historical, cultural and emotional roots with Portugal, and there is great room for development in bilateral cooperation. Araujo made the above statement at the theme event held in Porto recently to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Portugal and the 25th anniversary of the return of Macao. In his keynote speech, Araujo reviewed the current economic and trade development between Portugal and China.
He said that in 2023, China continued to be Portugal's largest trading partner in Asia, and China's investment in Portugal reached about 3.5 billion euros. Portugal has become one of the countries in Europe that receives the most Chinese investment per capita. At the same time, Portugal's investment in China and trade with China are also growing steadily. He said that despite the positive development of economic and trade activities between the two sides, investment and trade between the two countries are still limited. There is still a lot of room for growth and development potential in China-Portugal economic and trade relations. He suggested that the two sides should not only strengthen investment and trade, but also expand it to areas that can promote structural transformation, such as digital industries, sustainable transportation, green economy, renewable energy and health industries. He said that in all these areas, Portugal has advantages in talent, knowledge, technology and innovation.
Portugal is one of the countries in the European Unio that uses the most renewable energy. Its universities and research centers excel in science and technology. The new generation of Portuguese people has received a good multicultural education, and the innovation ecosystem is becoming more and more dynamic and competitive. In terms of tourism, Portugal is becoming more and more attractive to tourists from all over the world, and both the public and private sectors have made important progress in the dual transformation of digitalization and ecology. He believes that in the current geopolitical tensions that are leading to disruptions in the global supply chain and protectionism that is growing worldwide, the importance of bilateral relations and economic diplomacy has become increasingly prominent to overcome the increasing obstacles to free trade.
The event was jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy in Portugal, the Porto City Government of Portugal, the Portuguese-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Chinese Enterprises Association. Nearly 100 representatives from the Chinese and Portuguese political, economic, academic, business communities and media attended the event. Chinese Ambassador to Portugal Zhao Bentang and President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Yang Wanming successively delivered keynote speeches and jointly reviewed the history of friendly exchanges between China and Portugal based on mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win results over the 45 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Portugal.
The Director of the Macao Economic and Trade Office in Lisbon, Jia Peier, and the Director of the Hengqin Economic Development Bureau, Li Ziwei, respectively introduced the achievements made by Macao in the 25 years since its return to China and the new opportunities brought by the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone for Sino-Portuguese economic and trade cooperation. Bernard, Secretary General of the Portuguese-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Guo Zhiyao, President of the Chinese Enterprises Association, jointly hosted the celebration. Azevedo, President of the Porto City Council, also attended.
