The Bank of China Macau Branch (BOC Macau) has created a team dedicated to promote economic and trade co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, reports local newspaper Jornal Tribuna de Macau (JTM).

The institution said the initiative aims to harness “the great opportunities” from the policies implemented by China’s Central Government, and results from the “active” collaboration with the Macao Government to build a service platform for Sino-Lusophone trade co-operation.

BOC Macau wants become a “financial services platform” for economic and trade co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

The newly created BOC Macau team currently has seven members, six of whom speak Portuguese and either studied or worked in Portugal previously, reported JTM.

Apart from offering the usual banking services, BOC Macau also plans to provide “appropriate and customised financial services” according to the “commercial features” of Sino-Lusophone relations, said the newspaper.

The bank wants to “strengthen co-operation with banks of Portuguese-speaking countries” to promote the use of the yuan in the trade “between China and Portuguese-speaking countries”, added the report.