The speaker of the Portuguese parliament Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco recently visited China.
Meeting his guest on April 8, Zhou Leji, Chair of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), said that China and Portugal are traditional friendly countries and comprehensive strategic partners with mutual respect, mutual trust and win-win cooperation. China is willing to work with Portugal to respect each other’s core interests and major concerns and continuously build and expand consensus on the basis of equality and sincere dialogue.
Noting that the two sides should deepen cooperation in culture, science and technology, education and tourism, and build a solid public opinion foundation for bilateral ties, Zhao called for making good use of mechanisms such as the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, expand trilateral cooperation with Africa, Latin America and other regions, and jointly practice true multilateralism.
Aguiar-Branco said Portugal firmly adheres to the one-China policy, adding that deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between Portugal and China is an important consensus among all political parties in Portugal.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Aguiar-Branco the same day. He said China is willing to work with Portugal to jointly expand cooperation using Macao as a platform, promote the China-EU partner positioning, and maintain international unity and cooperation.
Aguiar-Branco said the Portuguese side appreciates the successful implementation of “one country, two systems” in Macao and hopes to further promote bilateral practical cooperation and multilateral communication and collaboration with China.
Friendly relations between China and Portugal have developed steadily since the April 1974 revolution overthrew the fascist Caetano regime and especially following the formal establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in February 1979. What is particularly striking, and indicated above, is the contrast between the Portuguese approach regarding Macao and that of British governments regarding Hong Kong. In the latter case, continual neo-colonial interference and bad faith act as a constant irritant in and impediment to bilateral relations. In stark contrast, Macao acts as a bridge of friendship and practical cooperation not only between China and Portugal, but also between China and all the Portuguese-speaking countries, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
Additionally, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will pay an official visit to China from April 11 to 15 at the invitation of his counterpart Li Qiang.
Announcing the visit, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning observed that this would be Sanchez’s fourth visit to China in a four-year period, adding that it represents another significant high-level exchange between China and Spain in a short period.
Noting that Spain is an important partner of China within the European Union, Mao pointed out that in recent years, China-Spain relations have developed at a high level under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, with solid progress made in cooperation across various fields and benefiting the two peoples.
“China is willing to work with Spain to take Prime Minister Sanchez’s visit as an opportunity to further deepen strategic mutual trust, enhance communication and cooperation, strengthen multilateral coordination, and promote China-Spain relations to a higher level, contributing more to safeguarding world peace and stability,” Mao said.
Sanchez has stood out as a strong opponent of the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, as well as in defence of the rights of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples, prompting US President Trump to make an escalating series of threats against Spain, including one to sever all trade.
The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.
Chinese, Portuguese legislative bodies agree to boost bilateral practical cooperation
BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) — China’s top legislator Zhao Leji and speaker of the Portuguese parliament Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco on Wednesday held talks in Beijing, where they reached an agreement to promote practical cooperation between the two countries.
Zhao, chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said China and Portugal are traditional friendly countries and comprehensive strategic partners with mutual respect, mutual trust and win-win cooperation.
China is willing to work with Portugal to respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, and continuously build and expand consensus on the basis of equality and sincere dialogue, Zhao said.
Zhao called on both sides to strengthen the alignment of development strategies, expand two-way investment, and broaden cooperation in areas such as new energy, digital economy, and artificial intelligence.
Noting that the two sides should deepen cooperation in culture, science and technology, education and tourism, and build a solid public opinion foundation for bilateral ties, Zhao called for making good use of mechanisms such as the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, expand trilateral cooperation with Africa, Latin America and other regions, and jointly practice true multilateralism.
Zhao said the NPC of China is willing to work with the Portuguese parliament to enhance friendly exchanges at multiple levels and in various fields, expand the exchange of experience in legislation and supervision, provide legal guarantees for bilateral practical cooperation, and better contribute to the development of bilateral ties.
Zhao also called on the two sides to exchange experiences around the construction of legal systems for ecological and environmental protection, and strengthen cooperation in promoting relevant domestic legislation and international rules.
Aguiar-Branco said Portugal firmly adheres to the one-China policy, adding that deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between Portugal and China is an important consensus among all political parties in Portugal.
In the face of uncertainties in the international situation, Portugal hopes to enhance the strategic nature of Portuguese-China relations, jointly adhere to multilateralism, advance cooperation in various fields such as economy, trade and culture, promote the healthy development of EU-China relations, and enhance the stability and certainty of the world, Aguiar-Branco said.
Aguiar-Branco said the Portuguese parliament is ready to foster friendly exchanges with the NPC of China and make contributions to promote practical cooperation between the two countries and enhance friendship between the two peoples.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Aguiar-Branco the same day. He said China is willing to work with Portugal to jointly expand cooperation using Macao as a platform, promote the China-EU partner positioning, and maintain international unity and cooperation.
Aguiar-Branco said the Portuguese side appreciates the successful implementation of “one country, two systems” in Macao and hopes to further promote bilateral practical cooperation and multilateral communication and collaboration with China.
Spanish PM to visit China
BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will pay an official visit to China from April 11 to 15 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Wednesday.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing that this visit marks Sanchez’s fourth visit to China in a four-year period, and it represents another significant high-level exchange between China and Spain in a short period, following the visits by Spanish King Felipe VI and Sanchez last year.
During the visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Sanchez, and Premier Li and Chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee Zhao Leji will hold talks and meet with him respectively. They will conduct in-depth exchanges on bilateral relations and issues of common concern, according to the spokesperson.
Noting that Spain is an important partner of China within the European Union, Mao pointed out that in recent years, China-Spain relations have developed at a high level under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, with solid progress made in cooperation across various fields and benefiting the two peoples.
“China is willing to work with Spain to take Prime Minister Sanchez’s visit as an opportunity to further deepen strategic mutual trust, enhance communication and cooperation, strengthen multilateral coordination, and promote China-Spain relations to a higher level, contributing more to safeguarding world peace and stability,” Mao said.
