OT: China hopes to double investments in Lusophone bloc by 2010
Beijing, Aug. 29 (Lusa) - China looks to double its substantial investments in Portuguese-speaking countries by 2010, a senior trade official said Wednesday in Beijing at a meeting gathering representatives from seven of the Lusophone bloc's eight nations.
Shan Xingxuan, of the Trade Ministry's department for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, also told his Lusophone guests that China expected to double two-way trade with members of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) to US$50 billion, or 36.8 billion euros, from the US$34 billion registered last year, a nearly 47% rise from 2005.
Shan said boosted Chinese trade and investment with CPLP states would privilege initiatives channeled through the Macau Forum, the business platform created in 2003 to promote relations between Beijing and the Lisbon-headquartered Lusophone bloc.
"Relations between China and Portuguese-speaking countries have developed very rapidly and we hope to deepen them even more in the framework of the Macau Forum", Shan said at the opening of a conference gathering 42 trade and investment officials from all the CPLP member countries with the exception of Sao Tome and Principe.
Sao Tome severed diplomatic ties with Beijing one decade ago in favor of relations with Taiwan, the island state China views as a renegade province.
Portuguese Ambassador Rui Quartim Santos told the opening session that Lisbon was interested in promoting "trilateral cooperation" programs within the Macau Forum framework.
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