Course studies Sino-Portuguese language ties

Portugal's University of Coimbra has announced the creation of a course to study China's relationship with Portuguese-speaking countries, focusing on business culture, intercultural management and business relations.

"The course offers a greater understanding of the institutional structures and highly complex and changing business environments of these two worlds and how they relate," according to a statement from the university.

Entitled China and the Portuguese-Speaking Countries in the World Economy: Trade, Tourism, Cooperation and Development, the first term of the two-semester course will take place on Friday evenings between September and December, while the second runs between February and May, with the objective of filling the lack of knowledge in these areas.

In addition to the basics of Mandarin, the course will be taught by national and international experts in these areas.

The topics covered will include the political systems of China, the community of Portuguese-speaking countries and the European Union, tourism, Sino-Lusophone investment and trade relations, as well as the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

"Coimbra offers a unique environment for this course, as students from the Portuguese-speaking world will meet many Chinese who learn Portuguese, and then work in these countries as diplomats, translators or entrepreneurs," the statement says.