A Chinese diplomat in Lisbon, Zhou Gaoyu, has said over 10,000 people in Portugal have learned Chinese, so making Sino-Portuguese cultural exchanges easier, Xinhua reports.
The Chinese government-run news agency quotes Mr Zhou as saying so on the sidelines of the Portuguese heat of Chinese Bridge, a competition among students of Chinese language and culture around the world.
The report says six students, variously representing Lisbon University, Minho University and Coimbra University, competed in the Portuguese heat.
Xinhua quotes the winner, Tomás Rodrigues Ilhéu of Lisbon University, as stressing the importance of the Chinese language as Sino-Portuguese economic and cultural and economic exchanges increase.
