Portugal-China ties best ever, says ambassador

Portugal’s relationship with China is the best it has ever been, according to an article penned by the Chinese ambassador to Portugal in the China Daily newspaper.
“The bilateral relationship is, at present, the best ever, with Portugal being a ‘good friend’ of China in the European Union, an important participant in the construction of the Belt and Road, an attractive place for Chinese companies wanting to internationalize and an effective platform for the expansion of trilateral cooperation,” said the Chinese ambassador Cai Run, in the article.
Portugal was the first country in Atlantic Europe to sign a cooperation agreement with China under the Belt and Road initiative, the first European Union country to establish a “blue partnership” with China, the first eurozone country to issue Chinese currency Eurobonds and the first continental European country to set up a “Luban working centre” with China.
Portugal was also the fifth-largest investment destination for Chinese companies in Europe, which, according to incomplete statistics, reached around $10 billion, which was invested in the energy, finance, insurance and health sectors, among others.
The ambassador pointed out that investment by Portuguese companies in China is growing steadily, although he provided no figures. MDT/Macauhub