Portuguese Minister of the Sea Ana Paula Vitorino has said Chinese Minister of Natural Resources Lu Hao expressed interest in the expansion of the southern Portuguese port of Sines when he visited the facility, Lusa reports.

The Portuguese news agency quotes Ms Vitorino as saying Mr Lu promised her when they toured Sines to alert Chinese companies to the potential of the port, and of the Vasco da Gama container terminal, which will be built there.

The report says Mr Lu was inspecting the port along with other Chinese who attended an international conference in Lisbon on maritime affairs.

The invitation to bid to run the Vasco da Gama terminal will go out soon, and the winning bidder will be required to invest €600 million (about US$670 million), Lusa quotes Ms Vitorino as saying.