Portuguese Minister of Science Manuel Heitor has said Portugal and China will set up a working group to co-operate on energy and sustainable transport, Lusa reports.

The Portuguese news agency says the goal is to link the Atlantic International Research Centre that Portugal intends to build in the Azores to the Chinese Green Silk Road project.

Mr Heitor said: “I think Portugal can play a new central role in this relationship between China and the Atlantic, namely in the sustainable energy area, in which we have in Portugal leading institutions and internationally competitive scientific critical mass.”

The working group will bring together representatives of State Grid Corp. of China, Rede Eléctrica Nacional SA and Portuguese institutions that do research into renewable energy and sustainable electric transport.