Entrevista exclusiva al embajador de Portugal (ingles)

I am starting my fourth year in China. We are witnessing an extremely rich period of the millenary History of China, characterized by an unprecedented and enormous transformation, change and development, entailing a challenging new role for China in international affairs and world economy. It is quite difficult to catch up with all the interesting developments that are taking place here and to try to understand their implications in as much as possible, under your own country’s perspective and interests. To be a diplomat in a country like China in these days is really a privilege, both professionally and personally.

—— Rui Quartin Santos


These thirty years could be divided in two parts: during the first, both China and Portugal concentrated themselves in negotiating the handover of Macau to the Chinese administration, to put an end to that situation left by history. I would say that this transition went on very smoothly, in a very constructive spirit and atmosphere, and thus paved the way for a new era of relations of friendship and cooperation in the second half of that period, to sum it up briefly. We achieved that smooth transition and then we developed our relation into a global strategic partnership, which was established in 2005 during the visit of Premier Wen Jiabao to Portugal... more>>

Our sales here for China’s market consist mainly in paper, paper pulp, cork, marble and construction materials, fundamentally ornamental rocks. We sell also some raw materials, like copper and aluminum; machinery and equipments; car components, chemical products, even furniture. You can see that there is a wide range of products. Even though we have made some progress, we are certainly eager to boost our exports to China much more than we have done. Wine for instance, and the food sector, in general, is also a sector which has shown good perspectives.Wine exports, in particular, have been quite promising, not only to mainland China, but to Macao and Hong Kong as well ... more>>
	The interview begins.
It is also one of our main objectives and very important Chinese companies, like ZTE and Huawei, are already present in Portugal as well as Cisco, that created a trade service centre in our country. We started by identifying those sectors with a competitive edge that could be more attractive to the Chinese companies. We have identified some: car industry, (car components and assemblage), information technology, electronics, logistics, and service centres. To this effect, we have contacted already with government departments and very important institutions, like CCPIT, CCIIP, SASAC etc, as well as directly with companies... more>>
	"But, nevertheless, we have developed very significantly mutually beneficial relations in different fields and there is still a huge potential to tap."
As you said, we are one of the very few languages that are present in all the continents. This is really something significant. I would say that we have been promoting the Portuguese language, creating an extensive network for teaching it, in cooperation with other Portuguese speaking countries. This is a very important part of our strategy. Another one is promoting the use of Portuguese language in international fora and in international organizations, like the UN. (I recall that Portuguese is already an official language of the African Union). On the other hand, we cannot forget the number and size of our communities throughout the world. The language is a very important link with them, so we have to intensify the teaching of Portuguese language in those communities to attract their young generations and to keep them in contact with the language and culture of their parents. Portuguese... more>>
	"Portuguese is, I believe, more spoken and learnt in Macao now than it was during our administration."
We have now, for instance, one thousand three hundred adults learning Portuguese in the Portuguese Orient Institute, which is supported by the Portuguese Government. But our language is also taught in the Portuguese School of Macao; in some Chinese-Portuguese schools with Portuguese sections and Portuguese learning programs; in the University of Macao and in the Polytechnical Institute of Macao. Therefore, I would say that Portuguese has curiously developed more since the handover of the administration to the Chinese authorities than it had before... But I think it is quite encouraging the number of people in mainland China seeking to learn Portuguese to become teachers, interpreters, and translators. more>>
	"I think for the same reason, a large number (relatively speaking) of Chinese youngsters are studying Portuguese."
It was a peaceful settlement, established for reasons of mutual and pragmatic convenience, necessarily, and it played for centuries a significant role as a regional and international port (I would recall, for that matter, that for almost one century, till 1639, the trade China-Japan used Macau as the gate to China). That would alone explain the importance Macao had in the past, but it served also for all kinds of exchanges between the two parts of the world. It should be recalled that the Portuguese were the first who arrived to China by sea in 1513, by Jorge Alvares, and we settled in Macao in the middle of the 16th century... more>>
	"The Government of Macao has been very clear in encouraging the pursuit of these goals thus reinforcing the links between mainland China, Macau and our countries."
We have defined some main objectives for our presence in Shanghai: the first is to show Portugal as a modern and innovative European country; the second is to show our achievements in strategic fields, like sustainable energies and energy conservation and efficiency; the third is to promote, in general, the trade and economic cooperation not only between Portugal and China, but also with all the participant countries. We hope that our presence will be a successful one... This led the Shanghai Expo to select that Portuguese corporation as a consultant to prepare the future role of the site of the Shanghai Expo. more>>
	"We are working physically in the pavilion, both external and internally, so that everything will be ready for the 31st March next year."
We are witnessing an extremely rich period of the millenary History of China, characterized by an unprecedented and enormous transformation, change and development, entailing a challenging new role for China in international affairs and world economy. It is quite difficult to catch up with all the interesting developments that are taking place here and to try to understand their implications in as much as possible, under your own country’s perspective and interests... more>>