The branch of the Confucius Institute at the University of Lisbon has held the Portuguese heat of the 20th Chinese Bridge, an annual contest among students of Chinese language and culture around the world, the Chinese Embassy in Lisbon says.

The embassy, one of the organisers, says in a written statement issued on Tuesday that the heat was held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The judges declared University of Minho student Teresa Gabriela Leão the winner last Saturday, after listening to speeches and watching videos of performances recorded by the contestants, the embassy says.

Its statement quotes Chinese Ambassador to Portugal Zhao Bentang as expressing at the start his hope that students learning Chinese in Portugal will bridge the communication gap between their country and his.

Those attending the heat were shown videos promoting China as a place for tourists to visit, the Chinese Embassy in Lisbon says.