The mayor of Castelo Branco, Leopoldo Rodrigues, is leading an official and business mission to the People's Republic of China this month, with strategic stopovers scheduled in the cities of Chongqing and Chengdu. Bringing together the local authority, higher education and the region's business community, the initiative aims chiefly to attract foreign investment and strengthen bilateral economic and cultural cooperation.

The Castelo Branco delegation includes senior representatives of the Municipality of Castelo Branco and the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco (IPCB), as well as local businesspeople from various sectors. Its principal objective is to identify new export opportunities for the companies of the Beira Baixa area and to position it as an attractive hub for Chinese capital in Europe.

This visit to Asia is the first major practical action resulting from the Cooperation Protocol signed last August between Castelo Branco and the Portuguese-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCILC). Diplomatic ties had already been strengthened weeks earlier, during the official visit of the Chinese Ambassador to Portugal, Yang Yirui, to Castelo Branco, where the foundations were laid for this institutional rapprochement.

The agenda of Leopoldo Rodrigues and the rest of the mission in Chongqing and Chengdu is expected to include high-level meetings with local government counterparts, visits to technology parks and bilateral business forums. The delegation will focus on key areas such as technology, agri-food and global academic exchange.

(Source: O Regiões, 20 October)