Second Ministerial Conference closes

The curtain on the two-day Second Ministerial Conference of the China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Economic Cooperation Forum in Macao fell this morning with an action plan that covered a wide range of areas for economic co-operation signed by China and seven Lusophone countries. The conference, which brought together ministerial-level officials and businesspeople from China, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, East Timor and Brazil, provided a platform for them to further their co-operation. In his closing remarks, the Minister of Commerce, Mr Bo Xilai, said the event successfully brought partnership between the participating countries to new heights. According to the objectives inscribed in the action plan, the participating countries wil target doubling the volume of trade and amount of investment between them within the next three years. The minister also expressed his gratitude for the support of the Macao SAR Government for the conference and the related events. On behalf of the seven Portuguese-speaking countries, the Minister of Economy, Growth and Competitiveness of Cape Verde, Mr João Pereira da Silva, said that the potential for the Lusophone countries was rising, with the amount of bilateral and multi-lateral volume of trade continuing to rise. The ministerial-level officials and their delegation left Macao this morning for the Expo Central China 2006 in Changsha, Hunan Province. Macao will stage the next ministerial conference in 2009.