Portuguese Deputy Finance Minister Ricardo Mourinho Félix says the government still intends to issue debt denominated in yuan – an idea floated last year, Dinheiro Vivo reports.

The news website quotes Mr Mourinho Félix as saying in an interview: “We are looking at market conditions and deciding what would be the best time to do it.”

The report says the Portuguese government intends to become the first in Europe to issue yuan-denominated debt, with a view to broadening its range of lenders.

“It’s something that will be done. In the same way, we are also looking at other possibilities, such as green bonds,” Dinheiro Vivo quotes the deputy minister as saying.