Macau, China, March 27, 2026 (Lusa) - A Portuguese business association in Macau highlighted Chinese environmental companies' interest in Portuguese waste management methods and technologies. These firms view Portugal as a bridge to markets in Africa and Latin America.
The Chinese market shows a growing demand for Portuguese management models and technological solutions, particularly in waste and decarbonisation, according to Rita Barros Silva from the Portuguese Association of Environmental Technology Companies (APEMETA).
Portuguese companies conversely look to China with increasing interest in recycling and the diversification of suppliers for new technological solutions, Silva told Lusa. She is attending this year’s Macau International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (MIECF), which ends on Friday.
China's business sector sees partnership with Portugal as a strategic asset to overcome communication barriers and access African and South American markets.
Portugal reaches far into the Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) market, including Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP), Brazil, and Latin America, Silva told Lusa. She added that Chinese firms seek Portuguese partners as qualified interlocutors to bridge communication gaps.
This triangulation allows APEMETA to promote Portuguese environmental expertise while hosting Chinese investors in Portugal for technical visits that facilitate deals and technical cooperation protocols. Silva considered Macau a strategic platform to consolidate bilateral interests and transform institutional contacts into effective commercial partnerships.
More than 50 delegates and companies from Lusophone countries attended this year’s MIECF.
Regular participation in the event enables an essential connection not only to local firms but especially to peer business associations, according to the representative.
This helps APEMETA present Portuguese companies to local Chinese businesses and strengthen partnerships with those established in Macau, she said.
NCM/RYOL // AYLS
Lusa
