The Consulate General of Portugal in Guangzhou celebrated its National Day in Guangzhou on June 9.
“Portugal is among the first Western European countries to sign an MOU with China on advancing the Belt and Road Initiative, and the first EU country to establish a Blue Partnership with China,” said Zhang Shuofu, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress.
“As a pivotal part of the maritime silk road, Guangdong has had successful interactions with Portugal for a long time,” Zhang said, adding, “Two-way trade between Guangdong and Portugal has sustained sound momentum, reaching 8.6 billion RMB in 2022, accounting for more than 1/7 of our bilateral trade.”
Zhang furthered, “We are glad to see that cultural and people-to-people exchanges are also flourishing, the collaboration between institutions of higher learning is growing, and cultural events like the Portuguese Day and food festivals are gaining great popularity.”
According to Zhang, 2022 also witnessed the opening of the China-Portugal National Trade and Investment Cooperation Center in Guangzhou, as the bright prospects and preferential policies of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, in particular Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, have attracted more and more business from Portugal and Portuguese-speaking countries to invest here in Guangdong.
“The official opening of the Consulate General of Portugal in Guangzhou in 2018 represents a milestone in the China-Portuguese relationship in South China,” said Ana Menezes Cordeiro, Consul General of Portugal in Guangzhou.
Statistics show that trade exchanges between the two countries have increased and diversified. “In the first quarter of 2023, exports of Portuguese goods to the Chinese mainland increased by 14% compared to the same period in 2022. China is our sixth largest supplier of goods and the sixteenth largest consumer of Portuguese goods,” said Cordeiro.
She added, “As Guangdong is one of the most economically relevant and dynamic provinces in China, the economic and trade dimension represents a major priority of our work at the Consulate.”
Cordeiro noted, “We aim to continue promoting Portugal’s economic potential in the Southern Provinces of China. In addition to the more traditional sectors - such as food and beverage, copper, paper, automobile components, ornamental stones, or cork - we are focused on bringing Portugal’s experience and expertise in areas such as the pharmaceutical industry, smart cities, e-commerce, components for artificial intelligence, software service platforms, high tech, green industries and tourism.”
Author | Hannah
Editor | Wing, Steven, Will, James
