On November 20, the Macau Scientific and Cultural Center in Lisbon hosted the 5th International Conference on Cooperation between Portugal and China, which featured a speech by the Secretary General of UCCLA, Luís Álvaro Campos Ferreira, at the opening session.

Luís Álvaro Campos Ferreira said that Portuguese is expected to be spoken by more than 380 million citizens by 2050 and, further down the line, by half a billion people. He also stressed that the UCCLA will promote cooperation between cities, based on an extraordinary common heritage, the Portuguese language. 

According to Zhao Bentang, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Portugal, the proximity between China and Portugal, in a long-standing and fruitful relationship, deserves to be highlighted, as does the strategic partnership signed between both states in 2005, which boosts both countries' development.

(Source: website of UCCLA, on November 22)