I. Political relations

China and Portugal established diplomatic relations on February 2, 1979 and in September the same year, the two countries sent ambassadors to each other.

Over the past 23 years since the establishment of the diplomatic relations it has seen a constant development of the friendly cooperation of the two countries in the fields of politics, economy and trade, culture, science and technology and military affairs. In April 1987, the Chinese and Portuguese governments reached the agreement on solving the Macao Issue left over from history through consultation on an equal footing and signed the joint statement on the Macao Issue, and then on December 20, 1999 China resumed its execution of sovereignty over Macao.

Since 1990s, leaders of the two sides witnessed an increase of mutual visits at high levels, promoting a further development of friendly cooperation between the two countries. The important visits by China to Portugal include: Member of the State Council and concurrently Minister of foreign affairs Qian Qichen in February 1991, Premier Li Peng in February 1992, President of the PRC Jiang Zemin, a visit by way of a stopover in November 1993, Premier Zhu Rongji in January 1995, Vice-premier and concurrently Minister of foreign affairs Qian Qichen in January 1997, Chairman of the NPPCC Li Ruihuan in May 1997, President of the PRC Jiang Zemin, a state visit in October 1999, Member of the State Council Luo Gan in March 2000, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Secretary of Shanghai Municipal Party Committee Huang Ju in April 2001, Chief procurator of the Supreme People's Procuratorate Han Shubin in June 2001, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Minister of the Ministry of Publicity Ding Guangen in September 2001 and Vice-premier Li Lanqing in July 2002. The important visits from Portugal to China include: Minister of foreign affairs Jose Manuel Durao Barroso in May 1993, Prime minister Anibal Cavaco Silva in April 1994, President of the Portugal Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares in April 1995, Minister of foreign affairs Jaime Jose Matos da Gama in February 1996, May 1999 and May 2001. President of the Portugal Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio in February 1997, Speaker of the National Assembly Antonio de Almeida Santos in May 1997, Prime minister Antonio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres in April 1998, President of the Supreme Court Jaime Octavio Cardona Ferreia in September 2000, and President of the Supreme Court Jorge Alberto Aragao Seia in November 2002.

II. Trade relations and economic-technological cooperation

1.Bilateral trade: According to the statistics of the Chinese customs the trade value between China and Portugal reached US$ 380 million in 2002, an increase of 15.5 percent as against the same period of the year before, of which the export from China took up US$ 300 million, a rise of 15.5 percent while the import made up US$ 80 million, a growth of 15.7 percent. The commodities exported from China to Portugal mainly cover: textile goods, garments, shoes, plastics, acoustic and audio-visual equipment, toys, travel articles and kits, carpets and rags, steel materials, ceramic products, and lighting equipment while the major imports include: electric condensers and accessory parts, primary plastics, paper and paper matrix, medicinal and textile goods, etc.

2.Bilateral economic-technological cooperation: up to the end of 2002, the Portuguese invested projects in Chinacame to 67 in all with an agreed investment of US$ 113 million while the actual input was US$ 68.96 million. The larger projects mainly include: Easily-operated Electric Equipment Co. Ltd in Liaoyangand Guangdong Hua'ou Welding Engineering Research Center and so on.

III. Exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, education, sci-tech and military affairs

After Chinaand Portugalestablished the diplomatic relations it has seen increasing exchanges and visits between the two countries in the fields of culture, science and technology and education. The two countries signed agreement for cooperation in regard with culture, science and technology in 1982, agreement for sports exchanges in 1991, agreement for cooperation concerning science and technology in 1993 and the memorandum for cooperation between the Chinese Ministry of Education and the Portuguese Ministry of Science and Technology and Higher Education in 2002. The two sides have an exchange of 10 scholarships every year, of which China provides 6 while Portugal offers 4 of them. In 2002, there were 78 Chinese students of all subjects studying in Portugal while the Portuguese students studying in China came to 94 in all. Both sides have already held 4 meetings of the mixed commission with a total of 103 projects for sci-tech cooperation defined and they were well executed. China and Portugal have formed four pairs of friendship cities of Shanghai and Porto, Wuxi and Cascais, Zhuhai and Castelo Branco, and Tongling and Leiria. On December 29, 2000, Sino-Portuguese Friendship Association was set up in Beijing with Li Jing, Member of the Standing Committee of the NPPCC and Deputy-director of the Foreign Affairs Commission as its president.

The two armies of Chinaand Portugalbegan their exchanges in 1980. In recent years, visits from the Chinese military side to Portugal mainly include: Member of the State Council and concurrently Minister of National Defence General Chi Haotian in September 1995, Vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission General Zhang Wannian in June 2000, Standing Deputy Chief of the General Staff General Guo Boxiong in December 2001 and the Chinese Navy Fleet called on the Lisbon Port as invited in July 2002. The visits by Portuguese military side to China include: Chief of the General staff of the Portuguese Armed Forces General Da Ponte in October 1996 and Minister of the Portuguese Prime minister's office and concurrently Minister of National Defence Antonio Vitorino in March 1997.

VI. Important bilateral agreements

Agreement on Sino-Portuguese News Cooperation in 1978

Joint Communiqu¨¦ on the Establishment of the Sino-Portuguese Diplomatic Relations in 1979

Sino-Portuguese Trade Agreement in 1980 with its execution stopped in 1986

Sino-Portuguese Agreement on the Cooperation of Culture, Science and Technology in 1982

Sino-Portuguese Agreement on the Cooperation of Economy, Industry and Technology in 1982

Sino-Portuguese Joint Statement on the Macao Issue in 1987

Sino-Portuguese Government Agreement on Sports Exchanges in 1991

Sino-Portuguese Agreement on the Protection of Investment in 1992

Sino-Portuguese Agreement on the Cooperation of Science and Technology in 1993

Sino-Portuguese Agreement on Avoiding Dual Taxation and Prevention of Tax Evasion in 1998

Agreement for Cooperation between the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and the Portuguese

Ministry of Internal Affairs in 1998

Memorandum of Cooperation between the Chinese Ministry of Education and the Portuguese

Ministry of Higher Education in 2002

(Source: www.fmprc.gov.cn)