On the morning of June 5th, the opening ceremony for the Seminar on Sino-Portuguese Third-Party Market Cooperation hosted by Ministry of Commerce and organized by MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai) was held smoothly. Ms. Jin Jue, Deputy Director of Foreign Economic Cooperation Department of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, and Mr. Chen Wei, Vice Executive Dean of International Education College and Deputy Director of MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai), attended and delivered speeches at the opening ceremony.
Portugal, as a developed economy and a member of the European Union, is an important partner in the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. Third-party market cooperation is not only a vital method for fostering international production capacity cooperation but also a key pathway to adavancing economic globalization and establishing an open world economy. Amidst the rise of anti-globalization sentiments, protectionism, and unilateralism, the seminar represents a concrete step by both China and Portugal to deepen their reciprocal cooperation and contribute positive momentum to global open cooperation.
Ms. Jin Jue stated that since the concept of “third-party market cooperation” was first introduced in 2015, China and Portugal have been leveraging their respective strengths in production capacity and advanced technology through such cooperation. The synergy has continuously driven and strengthened collaboration between China, Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries, building on complementary advantages. As a result, they have achieved practical outcomes in a range of significant projects. The seminar is designed to facilitate diverse forms of reciprocal cooperation, propelling their joint development forward.
Mr. Chen Wei, in his speech, pointed out that China and Portugal have the foundation and potential for cooperation in the third party market. The two countries have carried out practical cooperation in wind power and hydropower projects in Brazil, and railroad and port programs in Africa, which have become new highlights of bilateral economic and trade collaboration. Under the mechanism of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, China and Portugal can further open up channels, complement each other’s strengths, and deeply dovetail with Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan. He expressed hope that the fellow participants would utilize the seminar as a platform to share the accumulated advanced experience in third-party market cooperation, discuss the bottlenecks and problems encountered in their respective fields, and work together to cope with the new environment and challenges.
Ms. Evangelista, Director General of the Ministry of Economy of Portugal and the participant representative, said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the bilateral economic relations between Portugal and China have flourished. Nevertheless, there remains significant potential to further strengthen, diversify and broaden the scope of cooperation opportunities and partnerships between Portuguese and Chinese enterprises. She expressed confidence that this seminar will foster greater understanding and mutual trust between the two countries, reinforce bilateral ties and uncover new avenues for cooperation in third-party markets.
The 14-day seminar will be graced by the presence of 13 distinguished participants from the Portuguese Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade, the Portuguese-Chinese Chamber of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, the Association of Friends of the New Silk Road, and the Chamber of Commerce of the Confederation of Portuguese-speaking Countries, among others. The seminar will arrange a visit to Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province.
The Foreign Aid Base of SBS successfully conducted an online seminar on Sino-Portuguese third-party market cooperation in 2022, which received unanimous affirmation and praise from the participants.
Written by: Liang Bo
Photos by: Li Zheng
Reviewed by: Chen Wei
