Portugal and the European Union as a whole want to attract more Chinese investment, a Portuguese member of the European Parliament said, quoted by official Chinese news agency Xinhua.

“Portugal welcomes foreign direct investment and [specifically] that of China,” said Claudia Monteiro de Aguiar. She was speaking during the inauguration ceremony of a forum on investment and business cooperation between the European Union and China in Brussels, Belgium, as quoted by Xinhua.

Ms Aguiar added that Portugal recently had carried out several reforms to promote inward foreign investment. She also highlighted the country’s key geographical location on the western edge of continental Europe.

The European Parliament member stated that the European Union placed great importance on trade relations with China. Chinese investment could help the bloc’s economic recovery and strengthen Europe’s global competitiveness, Ms Aguiar noted.