Xi meets Portuguese PM

BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping met with Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro in Beijing on Tuesday.

Xi said both China and Portugal are nations with a long history and rich culture, and the two peoples share the character traits of being open, inclusive, enterprising and self-reliant, adding that the two sides have appropriately resolved the Macao issue through friendly consultations.

Xi said in recent years, the two countries have achieved fruitful outcomes in cooperation across various fields, setting a model of mutual respect and mutual benefit for countries with different social systems and national conditions.

Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Portugal comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi said China is willing to strengthen strategic communication with Portugal, steer the bilateral relations in the right direction, make the good relations even better, and contribute more to the prosperity and progress of the two countries and the world through solidarity and cooperation.

Xi called on the two sides to carry forward the traditional friendship, maintain mutual trust and support, deepen the alignment of development strategies, and expand practical cooperation in areas such as innovation, green development, maritime affairs and healthcare.

He noted that the two sides should give full play to Macao's unique role as a bridge and make good use of mechanisms like the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes at a higher level. They should also encourage exchanges in culture, education, tourism and scientific research, as well as deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, he added.

"The more turbulent the international landscape becomes, the greater the need for China and Europe to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust and deepen cooperation," Xi said, expressing the hope that Portugal will work with China to uphold the orientation of the China-EU partnership and promote the sustained, stable and healthy development of China-EU relations.

Noting this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN), Xi stressed that China is ready to work closely with Portugal in multilateral affairs to jointly practice true multilateralism, safeguard the authority of the UN and the free trade system, and promote the building of a more just and equitable global governance system.

Montenegro conveyed Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa's sincere greetings to President Xi, adding that the future-oriented relations between Portugal and China have a long history, and the two countries have properly resolved the Macao issue through friendly consultations.

Montenegro said the successful practice in Macao over the past 25 years fully demonstrates that the Portuguese government made the right decision. Portugal will continue to adhere to the one-China policy and will not forget the valuable support and assistance provided by China during the most difficult period of Portugal's economy, he said.

Montenegro expressed Portugal's willingness to deepen cooperation, enhance political mutual trust, and strengthen economic and trade ties with China.

He noted that Portugal agrees with the important concepts embodied in the Global Governance Initiative proposed by President Xi and is willing to jointly uphold multilateralism with the Chinese side. Portugal welcomes China's greater contributions to improving the global governance system, he said.

China is an indispensable partner for Europe, and Portugal is ready to play a positive role in promoting the healthy and stable development of EU-China relations, Montenegro added.