"Portugal is an ancient country, but Portuguese is the language of the future," said Paulo Rangel, Portugal's Minister of Foreign Affairs, in an auditorium with more than a hundred students from Beijing Foreign Studies University ("Beiwai") on March 25.

The teaching of Portuguese in China has grown rapidly over the last 25 years, fueled by the evolution of trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, which in 2024 alone amounts to more than 225 billion dollars (almost 208 billion euros), generating a growing need to train Chinese staff to work with the countries of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP).

Paulo Rangel also asked the Chinese authorities to do more to promote the teaching of Chinese across borders, particularly in the CPLP. Asked by the students about his vision of China, the Portuguese minister said he associated the country with human history.

(Source: País ao Minuto, on March 25)