A former coordinator of the Macao Polytechnic Institute Portuguese Language Pedagogical and Scientific Center, Carlos André, predicts that development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and its links with the Portuguese-speaking world will encourage more Chinese to learn Portuguese, Ponto Final reports.

Mr André said in an interview that Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong, already had ties to African markets, and that he believed Chinese dialogue with Angola, Mozambique and Brazil would increase, according to an interview carried by the Macao newspaper last week.

Mr André said over 55 mainland Chinese universities taught Portuguese, and that the number of teachers in their Portuguese departments holding doctorates was growing fast.

He called for the formation of more partnerships between universities in mainland China and lusophone countries, Ponto Final says.