The Foreign Minister said yesterday that Portugal’s position on China is compatible with NATO and the European Union, which sees Beijing as “a partner”, “a competitor”, but also “a rival system”.
“Our position is both the position of NATO and the position of the EU, which are organizations that belong,” said Augusto Santos Silva, in response to a question from the CDS in the European Affairs Committee of the Assembly of the Republic.
As for NATO, the minister said that a statement made on Monday by the organization’s general secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, says that “China’s rise represents a change in the geopolitical landscape that NATO must be aware of”.
As for the EU, he added, “it is known as” the 27 to be characterized: “It is a partner in multilateral agendas, namely climate, it is a commercial partner in areas where they are of common interest and there is convergence, an economic competing member and a our systemic rival for governance models ”.
“There is no greater clarity”, consider admitting that “the Portuguese Foreign Minister” is not every day to say that China is a rival system “because he has to take into account” the interests of Portugal “.
“This is what explains the transition in the region where the transition is being less turbulent in the world,” he said, referring to Macau, as opposed to Hong Kong.
