Economy Minister Pires de Lima is basking in the bright lights of Shanghai and already has reported, perhaps indiscreetly, that the Chinese are interested in buying into Portugal’s privatisation of publically owned transport businesses.
Pires de Lima arrived in Shanghai on a trip with “enormous potential" and in his wake are over 100 Portuguese business leaders keen to meet Chinese companies and do deals.
The Economy Minister’s actually said that the Chinese ‘may be potentially interested’ in the privatisation of transport concessions in Lisbon and Oporto (Metro, Carris and STCP) and in Portugal’s General Enterprise Development company which handles the country’s waste. This is not quite the same as saying the Chinese are interested but if Pires de Lima hopes hard enough his dreams may come true. The Chinese already own controlling shareholdings in REN and EDP in Portugal so are becoming a known quantity e.g. for the cynical way they reneged on a promised eco-investment deal after the EDP purchase.
Pires de Lima spoke to reporters in Shanghai on the first day of his visit saying that at the Luso-Chinese Joint Committee meeting, soon to be held in Beijing, Paulo Portas will outline that Portugal is interested in exporting automobiles, minerals, marble, paper pulp, as well as footwear, clothing and housing products.
In 2013 Portugal’s exports to China were €650 million and in the first two months of this year the figure is up 45% on last year.
The Minister also is interested in promoting tourism as of the millions of Chinese that travel overseas, a small percentage come to Portugal - only 60,000 last year.
"We want China to see Portugal as a good and reliable place in which to make investments,” said Pires de Lima who knows that it already is.
