我们认为,葡萄牙可以为充分开发大西洋的海上互联互通建设做出决定性的贡献。
“一带一路”引发的期待与关注
在2013年，习近平主席受历史上古“丝绸之路”的启发提出了建设亚欧大陆新通道的设想。这一倡议迅速在世界上引发了广泛的期待和关注。共建“丝绸之路经济带和21世纪海上丝绸之路”的倡议，简称为“一带一路”倡议，迅速变成了一个辨识度极高的“品牌”。这一倡议所面临的挑战也是巨大的，尤其是鉴于其意在覆盖的国家的广度和多样性。很多国家仍然面临着政治上的不稳定。但这也是为什么这一倡议如此让人兴奋的原因：承诺推动可持续发展、推动互联互通、实现欧亚大陆及其亚洲海陆沿线的和平和稳定。
一方面，通过“丝绸之路经济带”的倡议我们可以共同努力推动地球上最后的欠发达地区：中亚的发展。中亚也可以通过陆路交通的发展重新找回其在历史上作为欧亚之间大通道的角色。值得注意的是最近以来一些欧洲或者亚洲中心论的论调让我们忘记了中亚在过去几个世纪以来所扮演的语言、文化和宗教交流的十字路口的角色。我们只需要铭记在塞尔柱王朝时期双边交流和互相尊重的生动例子。另外早在唐朝时期孔子的著作就在今天的阿富汗被翻译成了希腊文。
另一方面，“21世纪海上丝绸之路”倡议致力于增进中国与其周边的沿海邻国，尤其是东南亚国家之间的互动。这一倡议会通过海路来增进欧亚之间的互联互通，从亚洲一直延伸到欧洲贸易网络的接入点。（包括在南亚、波斯湾、非洲东海岸一直到地中海的许多航运中心）
文｜若热·托雷斯·佩雷拉（Jorge Torres-Pereira） 葡萄牙驻华大使 图片提供｜葡萄牙驻华大使馆 翻译｜徐巍
葡萄牙为海上互联互通建设做出重要贡献
葡萄牙非常清楚地意识到，在16世纪的丝绸之路就是现在的全球海路贸易路线的先驱。葡萄牙人当时主导了环绕非洲大陆，包括非洲西海岸的贸易线路，沿途交易的商品有中国、印度的商品以及欧亚地区的海产品。（里斯本当时是第一个被欧洲人委托接收中国的蓝白磁器的航运中心）
“一带一路”倡议所展示的两个愿景在中国投资的驱动下有把全球的互联互通水平提高到一个新台阶的潜力，现在良好的发展状况也证实了这一点。欧洲必然会从这一倡议的成功中获益，其带来的投资机会也会为全球的企业带来好的前景，无论这些企业是来自哪里。
葡萄牙一直都在密切关注共建“一带一路”倡议的发展情况，尤其是“21世纪海上丝绸之路”的进展情况。我们国家是亚洲基础设施投资银行的创始成员国之一，许多葡萄牙公司也在“一带一路”沿线陆路和海路的许多国家都有投资。我们认为,葡萄牙可以为充分开发大西洋的海上互联互通建设做出决定性的贡献。
从地图上就会发现，葡萄牙海岸实际上是欧洲大陆的大西洋门户。尤其是位于里斯本以南约100公里的锡尼什港的深水港正在经历大改造，改造完成之后港口可以接纳来自最近新扩建的巴拿马运河的集装箱船。这样也可以使得太平洋到大西洋线路成为有一条可以到达欧洲的线路。同时，改造之后也可以通过锡尼什港-马德里铁路连接中欧。我们希望这样可以使得锡尼什港成为一个重要的航运中心，成为“一带一路”倡议中的起始点和终点站。历史上葡萄牙曾经扮演了连接欧洲和亚洲的角色，我们相信“一带一路”倡议将会助推葡萄牙在重新扮演这一角色方面奏一曲恰如其分的片尾曲。
（文｜若热·托雷斯·佩雷拉（Jorge Torres-Pereira） 葡萄牙驻华大使 图片提供｜葡萄牙驻华大使馆 翻译｜徐巍）
“Blue and White Porcelain in Lisbon The old and new Silk Road and the New Future”
By H.E. Dr. Jorge Torres-Pereira; Ambassador of Portugal to The People’s Republic of China;
Photo Provided by Embassy of Portugal in China
President Xi Jinping’s vision of building new Eurasian routes, inspired by the Silk Road of yesteryears, he first announced in 2013, was received worldwide with great interest and expectations – and “One Belt, One Road” and its acronym OBOR became an instantly recognizable “brand”. Its challenges are considerable, in light of the extension and diversity of countries it purports to cover, some of which still marred with political instability. That is precisely what makes it so exciting: the promise of sustainable development, connectivity, peace and stability encompassing the whole landmass comprising Europe and both continental and maritime Asia.
On one hand, with the Silk Road Economic Belt we have a concerted effort to address one of Earth´s last underdeveloped regions, Central Asia, which could thus recover its historical role as gateway between Europe and Asia, through land routes. (Worth noting that competing euro and asia-centric historical narratives had in recent times led us to forget the unique role Central Asia played for centuries as a crossroads of languages, cultures and religions – and one has only to remember the example of mutual dialogue and respect as in the days of, say, the Seljuk Empire or that Confucius was first translated into Greek in present-day Afghanistan as early as the Tang Dynasty)
On the other hand, the Maritime Silk Road of the 21st Century tries to embrace the sea neighbours of China, and South East Asia in particular, in an equivalent connectivity impetus between Asia and Europe, through maritime routes, all the way to different “entry points” to the European trade networks (including hubs on South Asia, on the Gulf and the East Coast of Africa aiming at the Mediterranean).
Portugal is very much aware of this last Silk Road having been the pioneer – in the XVI Century – of the global trade through maritime lanes we witness today. The Portuguese championed a route that circled the African continent, that included the West Coast of Africa, in the overall exchanges of Chinese, Indian, maritime Asian and European goods (and Lisbon was the first hub to receive blue and white Chinese porcelain commissioned by Europeans).
This two-pronged vision embodied in the “Belt & Road” Initiative has the potential, as seen by early signs of exciting new developments, driven in no small measure by Chinese investment, to push global connectivity to a new level. Europe also stands to gain exponentially from the project´s success and investment opportunities show great promise for global companies, irrespective of their origin.
Portugal has been following the development of OBOR closely, in particular the Maritime Silk Road of the XXI Century. My country is a founding member of the AIIB and Portuguese companies are actively present in many countries along the new Silk Roads, both by land and by sea. Portugal, we believe, can also offer a decisive contribution to the sea connectivity that will make full use of the Atlantic Ocean. If one looks at a map, the Portuguese Coast is in fact the Atlantic façade of the European continent. Specifically, the deep sea port of Sines, some 100 Kilometres south of Lisbon, is undergoing a major makeover which will enable it also to serve container carriers from the recently enlarged Panama Canal (thus able to make the Pacific to Atlantic Ocean route a viable alternative to attain Europe) and to connect thereafter by land to and from Central Europe, via the projected Sines-Madrid railway. This, we hope, may make Sines become one of meaningful hubs – both as start and finish points – of the two New Silk Roads for the 21st Century. I trust the Belt and Road Initiative will provide an appropriate coda to the historical role Portugal played in connecting Europe and Asia.