The two-day Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between
China and Portuguese-speaking countries, the first of its kind,
ended yesterday in the Macao Special Administrative Region
(SAR).
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Chinese Vice Minister of
Commerce An Min said the Action Plan for Economic and Trade
Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries will
set the guideline for promoting facilitated bilateral trade in the
future.
The forum was sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and
attended by ministerial-level officials from seven
Portuguese-speaking countries -- Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea
Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and East Timor.
The two sides agreed to continue to open up wider for trade;
actively expand and protect mutual investment; strengthen
cooperation in agriculture, fishing, engineering, animal husbandry
as well as information and technical exchanges; step up
inter-governmental co-ordination and set up a permanent forum
office to oversee the implementation of member countries'
commitments.
The ministers from the seven countries expressed their hopes for
a sound implementation of the action plan in 2006, when they are
scheduled to meet at the second ministerial-level meeting of the
forum.
Jose Luis Arnaut, assistant to Portuguese Prime Minister Jose
Manuel Durao Barroso, said the forum enabled various parties to
continue their cooperation on the existing basis of bilateral trade
with China. Strengthening relations with China is an important part
of the forum's work.
Angolan Commerce Minister Victorino Domingos Hossi said the
forum offers China and Portuguese-speaking countries a convenient
means and channel for economic and trade cooperation. The action
plan signed at the forum created a new opportunity for development
on the basis of mutual benefits.
The Chinese vice-commerce minister told the participants the
Chinese central government and the Macao SAR government have been
closely working on the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement
(CEPA), which will soon come out to promote trade ties between the
Chinese mainland and Macao.
The trade pact would help make Macao a platform serving China's
foreign trade with the world, especially Portuguese-speaking
countries, he added.
(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2003)