The third Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries opened in Macao on the morning of November 13, 2010. National leaders and senior officials from 8 countries, i.e. China, Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique and East Timor attended the conference.
The third Ministerial Conference of the Forum kicked off in Macau's East Asian Games stadium at 10:00 local time. Premier Wen Jiabao delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.
Wen said in the speech that Macao's trade and economic cooperation with the Portuguese-speaking countries has been strengthened thanks to the Forum. To develop China's trade and economic cooperation with the Portuguese-speaking countries serves the fundamental interest of both sides and conforms to the trend of the times and the aspiration of the people.
He sincerely hopes the participating countries in the Forum follow the trend of the times and the will of the people, pursue multidimensional cooperation, seek common development, make the Forum a unique, effective and high-level platform and open a new chapter of trade and economic cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries.
Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming who chaired the opening ceremony said that the Forum, with the full support and concerted efforts of the governments and businesses of participating countries and the government of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), has become a key platform for China and the Portuguese-speaking countries to conduct dialogue, exchange and cooperation since it was founded in 2003.
National leaders and senior officials of the Portuguese-speaking countries, including East Timor's President Jose Ramos Horta, Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates, Guinea-Bissau's Prime Minister Carlos Gomes and Mozambican Prime Minister Aires Bonifacio Baptista Ali also addressed the ceremony.
The theme of the two-day conference is multidimensional cooperation and harmonious development. Participants will review the implementation of the Action Plan on Trade and Economic Cooperation since the previous two ministerial conferences, discuss the direction, areas and approaches of trade and economic cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries from 2010 to 2013 and sign relevant documents. A number of activities, including the ministerial conference, conference of entrepreneurs and financiers and bilateral meetings will be held.
More than 1,500 delegates, including national leaders, governmental officials, financiers and entrepreneurs of China and the Portuguese-speaking countries attended the Forum.
Initiated in Macao in 2003, the Forum aims at enhancing China's trade and economic cooperation with the Portuguese-speaking countries, giving play to the Macao SAR's role as a link between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries and promoting common development of mainland China, the Portuguese-speaking countries and the Macao SAR. The first and second ministerial conferences of the Forum were held in Macao in 2003 and 2006 respectively.