Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, paid an official friendly visit to Portugal from November 21 to 23 at the invitation of Portuguese Parliament Speaker Aguiar-Branco. During his stay in Lisbon, he met with Portuguese President de Sousa, Prime Minister Montenegro, and held a meeting with Speaker Aguiar-Branco.
During his meeting with de Sousa, Zhao Leji conveyed President Xi Jinping’s warm greetings and best wishes. He noted that under the strategic guidance of the two countries’ leaders in recent years, cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative has progressed steadily, cultural exchanges have flourished, and the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Portugal has deepened and strengthened. Zhao expressed China’s gratitude for Portugal’s long-standing adherence to the “One China” principle and emphasized the desire to continue fostering mutual respect, equality, and trust, as well as being partners in development and promoting dialogue between civilizations. He also expressed hopes for Portugal to continue playing a positive role within the EU and contribute to further advancing China-EU relations.
President de Sousa extended his sincere greetings to President Xi Jinping through Zhao Leji. He remarked that Portugal and China are close and sincere friends, highlighting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic relations and the 25th anniversary of Macau’s return to China. De Sousa expressed Portugal’s willingness to strengthen high-level exchanges, deepen friendly interactions, and expand cooperation in areas such as trade, renewable energy, the blue economy, and the digital economy. He reiterated Portugal’s commitment to multilateralism and support for the United Nations’ role and the authority of international law. De Sousa emphasized the importance of strengthened dialogue between the EU and China and pledged Portugal’s positive contribution to this effort.
During his meetings with Prime Minister Montenegro and Speaker Aguiar-Branco, Zhao Leji reiterated China’s commitment to fostering political trust, developing new areas of cooperation such as artificial intelligence and clean energy, and encouraging expanded investment and collaboration between the two nations. Montenegro reaffirmed Portugal’s adherence to the “One China” principle and expressed interest in enhancing cooperation in areas like technology, marine economy, culture, and sports. Aguiar-Branco highlighted the significance of inter-parliamentary cooperation and expressed support for creating a fairer, more equitable, and non-discriminatory business environment. Zhao Leji underscored the achievements of the “One Country, Two Systems” policy in Macau since its return to China and expressed China’s commitment to deepening multifaceted cooperation with Portugal.