A delegation from the Sao Tome government is in the People’s Republic of China to negotiate a trade agreement, an official told Portuguese news agency Lusa in Sao Tome Thursday.

The delegation is headed up by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities, Natália Umbelina, and includes the legal advisor to the Sao Tome president, Paulo Jorge do Espírito Santo and Henrique Pinto da Costa, of the Pinto da Costa Foundation.

The Prime Minister of Sao Tome and Principe, who returned form a visit to Chad o Tuesday, denied that the mission to Beijing was intended to establish diplomatic relations with China.

“We have not established any diplomatic relations with mainland China,” said Gabriel Costa, regretting the “speculation” about the relationship between Sao Tome and Principe with Taipei and Beijing.

The Prime Minister pledged to speak “publicly” about the mission to China, which is due to return to Sao Tome on Friday.

The visit by the Sao Tome delegation to China comes just days after the 4th ministerial conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries, better known as Forum Macau. (macauhub)