Portugal is to have a consular diplomat in post in Guangzhou, the capital city of the Chinese province of Guangdong, from October.

The move was confirmed by the Secretary of State of Portuguese Communities Abroad, José Cesário, has confirmed.

Speaking to newspaper Diário do Povo, Mr Cesário said a diplomat would be in place in the first fortnight of October, with a view to establishing premises for a new Consulate General in the city. “He will have to identify facilities and, later on, recruit staff through a bid”, he added.

According to the Portuguese Secretary of State, technical staff from Portugal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs might also be sent to Guangzhou.

Diário do Povo explained that a joint dispatch from Portugal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Finance enabling the opening of a Consulate General in Guangzhou had already been signed.

Diário do Povo is a fortnightly, bilingual newspaper published in Portugal in Chinese and Portuguese.