A group of municipalities in an area of western Portugal, the Oeste Intermunicipal Community, and the Portugal-China Small and Medium Enterprises Chamber of Commerce have agreed to work together to help enterprises in the area tap mainland Chinese markets, the group says.

The Oeste Intermunicipal Community issued a written statement saying the parties to the agreement will work together to promote the products of the area by showing them at trade fairs, and by other means.

The group comprises 12 municipalities with a combined population of about 365,000, the Oeste Intermunicipal Community says.

In January a Macao newspaper, Ponto Final, reported that 89 enterprises or entrepreneurs belonged to the chamber, 47 of them in Portugal and the rest in Macao, mainland China, Hong Kong or Singapore; and that the chamber had 14 branches in China, including its Macao branch.