Portuguese Consul-General in Macao Paulo Cunha Alves has said his country is keen to help train the people needed to make Macao an East Asian centre for promotion of the use of the Portuguese language, Ponto Final reports.

The Macao newspaper quotes Mr Cunha Alves as saying in an interview that people abroad wishing to learn Portuguese may be drawn to Macao by institutions of secondary and tertiary education that teach the language, and by residents that are bilingual in Portuguese and Chinese.

Mr Cunha Alves said promotion of the use of Portuguese is one thing the authorities in Portugal, Macao and mainland China all agree on.

He called for technology enterprises in Portugal to form partnerships with companies in Macao to increase their presence in the city, Ponto Final says.