China Enhances Cooperation with Portuguese-Speaking Countries

China has strengthened its economic and trade cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries （PSCs） in the past 15 years， and has been dedicated to enhancing its cooperation with those countries in more sectors， senior officials attending a symposium said in Macao on March 21.

The symposium， organized by the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries （Macao）， also known as Forum Macao， was to mark the 15th anniversary of the forums founding.

Forum Macao serves as an important platform between China and the PSCs， as it has helped promote closer ties between the governments of those countries， boost their economic and trade cooperation， and expand their cooperation into more sectors， Forum Macaos Secretary-General Xu Yingzhen said at the opening ceremony.

The total value of merchandise trade between China and PSCs reached US $117.59 billion in 2017， compared with US $6.06 billion in 2002， according to Chinas General Administration of Customs.

PSCs also sold goods worth US $81.01 billion to China in 2017， up by 32.18 percent year on year， the data shows. Meanwhile， Chinas direct investment in PSCs totaled US $399 million in 2016， a significant increase of 263.7 percent compared to the previous year.

China-ASEAN Expo to Be Held in September

The 15th China-ASEAN Expo is scheduled to be held from September 12 to 15 in Nanning， capital of South Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， the organizer announced at a highlevel officials meeting on the expo that was held in Nanning in mid-March.

The theme of this years expo is “jointly building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and the China-ASEAN community of innovation.”

This year marks the 15th anniversary of establishing China-ASEAN strategic partnership and also initiating the China-ASEAN Expo. The expo to be held in September will take this opportunity to deepen cooperation in economy and trade， and in the innovation field as well， so as to facilitate the construction of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and the forming of a community with a shared future for China and ASEAN countries that features shared principles， prosperity， and responsibilities.

Guo Chuanwei， an official with the Ministry of Commerce， said that economic and trade cooperation between China and the ASEAN members switched to a fast lane in 2017， with volumes of trade and investment in both directions spiking. He said the year 2018 will be key for both to promote the quality of mutual cooperation. Statistics show that the volume of trade between the two sides rose 13.8 percent to US $514.8 billion last year. Among that， China exported US $279.1 billion， up nine percent year on year； while imported US $235.7 billion， up 20 percent.

Chinese Presidents Special Envoy Attends Chilean Presidential Inauguration

Chinese President Xi Jinpings special envoy Ma Peihua， also vice chairman of the 12th Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC） National Committee， attended the Chilean presidential inau- guration ceremony on March 11， and met President Sebastian Pinera and his predecessor Michelle Bachelet respectively on the previous day.

Ma conveyed President Xis congratulations and good wishes to Pinera， saying China and Chile have established a comprehensive strategic partnership and China-Chile relations have been spearheading Chinas ties with Latin American countries. He said China has always regarded Chile as a significant cooperative partner in the Latin American and Asia-Pacific regions， and China will， as always， develop ties with Chile from a strategic and long-term perspective.

Ma said China is willing to work with Chile to strengthen exchanges in all aspects， jointly build the Belt and Road， deepen pragmatic cooperation in trade， investment， mining， and agriculture， strengthen closer multilateral coordination， and open up new prospects for their bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.

President Pinera thanked President Xi for sending an envoy to attend his inauguration. He said developing relations with China is a priority for Chilean diplomacy and Chile is willing to work with China to deepen mutual beneficial cooperation， advance specific projects within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative， and further enhance cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region to benefit the two peoples.

When meeting with former President Michelle Bachelet， Ma conveyed President Xis greetings to her and spoke positively of her contributions to bilateral relations. Bachelet said that developing ties and deepening cooperation with China has become a national policy of Chile， and Chile is confident about the prospects of Chile-China cooperation.