Lisbon, Feb. 9, 2021 (Lusa) - Portugal's foreign minister, Augusto Santos Silva, said on Tuesday that China is no substitute for the United States, stressing that Beijing is an economic partner and Washington an ally.

At a hearing in Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities,  Santos Silva replied to Social Democrat member of parliament Nuno Miguel Carvalho, who asked him whether the recent trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and China could affect relations between the United States and the EU, particularly with Portugal.

"Portugal has trade partners all over the world and China is one of them. China is no substitute for the United States. Our allies are among the EU member states, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Atlantic Alliance [North Atlantic Treaty Organisation - NATO] and the Portuguese-speaking countries", the head of Portuguese diplomacy said.

The German presidency of the Council of the EU, Santos Silva recalled, signed the trade agreement with China. It passed the deal over to Portugal on 1 January of this year, which "will continue, with prudence", to do everything possible to make it a success.

The hearing was held at the request of the Socialist Party (PS) parliamentary group, following the 44th meeting of the Permanent Bilateral Commission between Portugal and the United States, held by videoconference on 17 December, against the background of changes in US foreign policy with the new US President, Joe Biden, and the reflexes in Portugal.

Santos Silva pointed out that the United States was the first trading partner with the exception of the EU and that Portugal sees the new US Administration as an "opportunity to refresh" bilateral relations.

"With the new president, a new avenue for cooperation in relations with the United States opens up, which has been growing [in recent years]. With Biden there is, yes, greater alignment in foreign policy, multilateralism and the world agenda," the Portuguese foreign minister said.

According to Santos Silva, Biden reaffirmed the United States' commitment to NATO and presented three priorities for US foreign policy, such as holding a climate summit in April this year, another with heads of state and government of countries where democracy is in place and also a shift in the focus of the strategy for the Indo-Pacific region.

In this sense, Santos Silva indicated that convergence with the United States makes the EU/India summit more useful, an "absolutely essential" priority of the Portuguese presidency of the 27.

As Portugal takes over the presidency of the Council of the EU, the idea, Santos Silva added, is that it can serve as a pivot between the three markets and regions, "an opportunity that must not be missed".

The strengthening of European relations with India has become even more important since a comprehensive regional economic agreement was signed recently between the countries of Oceania and South-East Asia, in which India is present.

Santos Silva also noted that trade relations between Lisbon and Washington had improved in recent years, with growing US investment in Portugal, especially in banking, new technologies and tourism, as well as in the energy sector, with the port of Sines serving as a gateway to gas from the United States to Europe, avoiding greater dependence on Russia.

JSD/ADB // ADB.

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