China and Portugal are sailing toward a bluer future

Over the past few years, China-Portugal relations have shown a sound momentum of development, with frequent high-level exchanges, promising results in pragmatic cooperation in all areas under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, and intensive cooperation in areas of multilateral cooperation.

Within less than six months between 2018 and 2019, President Xi Jinping and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa successfully made state visits to each other's country, elevating the China-Portugal comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era to a higher level. On August 27 this year, Xi had another telephone conversation with Rebelo de Sousa, charting the course of the journey ahead for the sound and stable growth of bilateral ties.

An important link between the land and maritime Silk Road routes, Portugal is a natural partner for China to jointly advance the construction of the Belt and Road. Hundreds of years ago, the brave Portuguese sailed along the maritime Silk Road to the East, opening the door to the maritime trade. In recent years, Portugal has actively participated in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, continuing the wonderful chapter of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Portugal is one of the 57 founding member countries of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and one of the first European states to sign a memorandum of understanding on jointly advancing the construction of the Belt and Road.

Over the past eight years since the BRI was proposed, China-Portugal investment cooperation has scored sound economic and bilateral benefits, with substantial progress in third-party market cooperation.

China is Portugal's biggest trading partner in Asia, as well as the biggest destination for Portuguese pork exports. In the first nine months of this year, bilateral trade volume increased against headwinds to reach $6.387 billion, a value higher than that of the whole year of 2019, and China's direct investment in Portugal increased by 47.76 percent year-on-year.

Both Portuguese President Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Antonio Costa have expressed on many occasions their willingness to strengthen cooperation with China under the framework of the BRI to effectively align Portugal's development strategies with the BRI. The Chinese side has attached great importance to the outstanding role that Portugal plays in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and is willing to work together with the Portuguese side to propel bilateral programmatic cooperation in all areas under the BRI framework to achieve greater success.

Portugal, a country famed for voyages of exploration, enjoys exceptional geographical advantages and a long-standing, splendid ocean culture. Portugal is the first European Union member country to establish a "blue partnership "with China, further enriching the content of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.

Not long ago, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang held a video meeting with Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education Manuel Heitor, with the two sides carrying out in-depth discussions and exchanges on maritime and space cooperation. Over the past few years, pushed by the governments of both countries, pragmatic maritime cooperation between China and Portugal has made sound progress in a wide range of areas.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences, using the Sino-Portuguese STARLab (formally called the Sino-Portuguese Joint Space and Maritime Technology Laboratory) as a platform, has set up joint research projects with many Portuguese marine science and technology research institutions for marine scientific investigation, deep-ocean exploration, study of sustainable marine fisheries, and marine disaster prevention and mitigation.

China's Harbin Engineering University and Portugal's Lisbon University have set up the International Joint Laboratory of Naval Architecture and Offshore Technology, which is the first national-level international joint lab on marine research between China and Portugal.

Shanghai Ocean University and the University of Algarve have set up the Sino-Portuguese Joint International Research Laboratory of Marine Biology for closer cooperation and exchanges. The Second Institute of Oceanography at China's Ministry of Natural Resources has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Portuguese Earth Science Research Cooperative Alliance Association and the Portuguese Center of Marine and Environmental Research on marine research and environmental collaboration.

China and Portugal have great potential for cooperation in such areas as marine science and technology research, ocean development and protection, logistics construction at ports, and developing the "blue economy".

Life itself arose from the oceans, and oceans connect the world and promote development. China and Portugal are vigorously developing their "blue partnership" with the desire that the vast oceans will benefit generations to come.

The recent sixth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China pointed out that high-quality development is the fundamental path for China to embark on a new journey toward a modern socialist country and realize its second centenary goal. History has fully proved that unswervingly adhering to giving "priority to ecological development and green development" is a prerequisite for pushing for high-quality development, as well as a solid foundation for creating high-quality life.

China has attached great significance to the construction of a marine ecological civilization, by continuously strengthening marine environmental pollution prevention and control, conserving marine biodiversity, and realizing orderly exploration and utilization of marine resources, so as to leave future generations with blue sea and blue sky.

In this regard, Portugal's 2021-30 National Ocean Strategy holds the same view as that of China. China is willing to further synergize development strategies with Portugal. With concerted efforts from both sides, China-Portugal relations will sail toward a more splendid future, not only better benefiting the two peoples, but also contributing more to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

The author is the Chinese ambassador to Portugal. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.