We make the rules, Portugal tells U.S. after China threats

[wvwvw]

SEPTEMBER 29, 20207:23 PMUPDATED 8 HOURS AGO
We make the rules, Portugal tells U.S. after China threats
By Catarina Demony

LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese leaders have criticised U.S. ambassador George Glass after he said they must choose between the United States and China or risk the consequences.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told reporters on Monday: “In Portugal it is the representatives chosen by the Portuguese and they alone who decide on their destiny, respecting the constitution and the rights it gives them.”

Glass told the newspaper Expresso at the weekend that Portugal had to pick between its American “friends and allies” and its “economic partner” China. He described the country as a “battlefield” between Washington and Beijing.

Portugal could expect consequences related to security and defence if it choose to work with China over the United States in developments related to 5G networks and others, he said.

In response, Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva told Lusa news agency: “In Portugal the decision-makers are the Portuguese authorities, who decide which are Portugal’ interests”.

The three companies who dominate Portugal’s mobile phone market have already said they would not use Huawei technology in their core 5G networks, but the Portuguese government has not banned the Chinese group from supplying the infrastructure.

China looped Portugal into its Belt and Road initiative in December 2018 and in recent years Chinese companies have invested about 10 billion euros in the country, making it one of the biggest recipients of Chinese investment in Europe.

Several Portuguese companies have opened doors to Chinese investment.

State-owned China Three Gorges has a 23% stake in Portugal’s main utility EDP and last month the country’s largest builder Mota-Engil said it was close to sealing a deal to sell a 30% stake in the company to China Communications Construction Co.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-p...-idUSKBN26K35U

[Ethel]

Good to know that, unlike Trump's faithful pet Clownsonaro, Portugal knows well how to respond to US imperialist offenses.

What is really funny though is a nation that constantly wears any heroic disguise under the divine excuse of taking the wonders of western democracy and freedom to the rest of the (oil-rich) world, never hesitates to threat and make up lies to achieve its economic purposes, everything under the wings of the "free" market of course.

[Cernunnos]

We should accept cooperate with the ones who offers better options. Both the USA and China have an imperialistic mindset in their general population. The USA tho has a much more obvious and direct imperialist aproach when it comes to foreign policy. China is waiting some decades to develop something big, but less obvious and less direct.

[wvwvw]

We should accept cooperate with the ones who offers better options. Both the USA and China have an imperialistic mindset in their general population. The USA tho has a much more obvious and direct imperialist aproach when it comes to foreign policy. China is waiting some decades to develop something big, but less obvious and less direct.

Υou cannot have your cake and eat it. You are in NATO which means you have already chosen sides.

Portugal spends how much on defence? I think it's 0,2 something compared to around 4% that Greece have been spending for decades.

Sure you can chose China over USA but Americans can also choose to withdraw investments from Portugal like they are doing with Turkey now for the same reason.