"Portugal closely monitors the execution of what was agreed and which is important for the Portuguese community that lives there, but it is also important in general for what is a long dialogue between China and Portugal", said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on the sidelines of a visit to the Porto Book Fair, after being questioned by journalists about today's telephone conversation between the two heads of state, on the initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that “in the long telephone conversation” he had with Xi Jinping he spoke about the bilateral relationship, Macau and the international situation, in particular, in Afghanistan.

The Chinese President said today, during a conversation with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, that China is ready to work with Portugal to “strengthen synergies” between the development strategies of both countries.

According to the official Xinhua news agency, Xi said Beijing wants to “promote cooperation” in areas such as energy, finance and infrastructure construction.

Three PS party members will present a motion at the PS Congress in Portimão on Sunday in which they ask the socialist leaders to denounce any violations of the Portuguese-Chinese declaration on Macau and to ensure its compliance.

The motion proposes, on the one hand, that the Socialist Party express “concern for the way in which some of the most important principles, rights and freedoms, namely those of assembly, demonstration and parade, safeguarded in the Luso-Chinese Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau and the Basic Law itself, are being called into question in the Macau Special Administrative Region [SAR] of the People's Republic of China”.

The three party members stated “that the provisions of the Luso-Chinese Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau will be effectively applied up to 50 years after the transfer of the administration”.

In other words, they emphasise, “until December 19, 2049, Portugal has the obligation to continue to monitor the way in which the Joint Declaration is respected by the Macau authorities and to ensure that it is effectively complied with whenever this does not happen”.

According to the Basic Law of Macau, which functions as a mini-constitution of the territory and will be in force until 2049, “Macao residents enjoy freedom of expression, press, publishing, association, assembly, parade and of manifestation”.

The transfer of Macau's administration from Portugal to China took place on December 20, 1999.