Portuguese companies welcome to Chinese market: Chinese ambassador

LISBON, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese companies are "very welcome" to the immense Chinese market, the Chinese Ambassador to Portugal Zhao Bentang said on Tuesday. The embassy will "provide all necessary assistance," to these companies, he added.

The statement was made at an online seminar called "Promotion of the 5th edition of China International Import Expo (CIIE)," where the ambassador highlighted the importance of bilateral trade relations between Portugal and China.

The two countries "have always maintained friendly and cooperative relations, and the two economies are highly complementary," he said.

China is a "large market for products with the protected origin and high added value," especially Portuguese wines, olive oils, and fruits, Zhao emphasized.

The ambassador highlighted that China has "sent a clear message to the world" that the country has "open doors," and that China shares with Portugal "the same desire for cooperation at a high level."

Meanwhile, the Portuguese Ambassador to China, Jose Augusto Duarte, highlighted at the seminar that the political understanding between the two countries has always been excellent.

"China is always ready to listen and help Portugal, even in this difficult world context," said the Portuguese diplomat.

It is now necessary for the two countries to work to "equilibrate the trade balance," which in his view should "better correspond to the size of political cooperation."

"The organization of this CIIE event, which is the largest in the field of exports, is especially important to increase and enhance trade," Duarte added.

The Portuguese exhibition area will be expanded at the 5th edition of the fair, which will be hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce from Nov. 5 to 10 in Shanghai.

In 2021, the event was attended by nearly 3000 exhibiting companies from 127 countries and regions, and was visited by around 480,000 people.

The fair is divided into three segments: the Hongqiao Forum economic congress, national institutional pavilions, and a business exhibition divided into six sectors: food and agricultural products, automobiles, consumer goods, medicine and health, information technology, and trade in services.