Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi arrived in the Macao Special Administrative Region on Sunday, and met with ministerial-level officials from seven Portuguese-speaking countries, who are here participating in a trade forum which opened Sunday.

Wu extended a welcome to the commerce and trade officials attending the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries, and said that China has taken Portuguese-speaking countries as important trade partners, which have a total population of 200 million and abundant natural resources.

The seven Portuguese-speaking countries are Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and East Timor.

Wu expressed the hope that China and Portuguese-speaking countries will reach better mutual understanding, increase trade cooperation and seek common development through the trade platform of this forum.

She said that the high-level trade forum has received a warm response from the participating countries. She said she hoped a cooperation mechanism will be materialized at the forum so as to push forward economic and trade development.

Similar to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in China in 2000, when China granted a 750-million-US-dollar debt relief to Africa, China will sign a bilateral economic and technological cooperation agreement to provide aid to five Portuguese-speaking countries in Asia and Africa at this forum, said Wu.

She said that with an extensive social network with Portuguese-speaking countries, Macao will play an increasingly important role in expanding China's trade relations with those countries.
 
(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2003)