THE CHINESE DIASPORA IN PORTUGAL: A TRANSNATIONAL PARADIPLOMATIC ECOSYSTEM IN SINO-PORTUGUESE RELATIONS

Authors

  • JOÃO SIMÕES https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1437-5527
  • ANDREIA SOFIA DA SILVA https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0791-2961

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-7251.DT0126.5

Keywords:

Chinese community in Portugal, Sino-Portuguese relations, paradiplomacy, diaspora capital, Transnational entrepreneurship

Abstract

This study examines the Chinese diaspora in Portugal as a multi-layered transnational paradiplomatic ecosystem shaping contemporary Sino-Portuguese relations, advancing beyond Bongardt and Neves (2007) and Neves and Rocha-Trindade (2008)’s tripartite model of economic facilitation, network leverage, and cultural bridging. Through mixed-methods analysis (document review, and community member interviews). Findings reveal three post-pandemic evolutionary shifts: (1) economic diversification beyond traditional commerce into technology and technology and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM); (2) institutional innovation through organizations like the Liga dos Chineses and Câmara de Comércio Portugal-China PME, brokering subnational partnerships, leveraging Macao/Hengqin as strategic platforms for exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and pioneering initiatives like AI-driven TCM integration and Porto’s trilingual school; and (3) platform amplification where state-created infrastructures enable trilateral ventures and diaspora capital circulation. Despite challenges - including bureaucratic inefficiencies, and generational engagement gaps - the community demonstrates adaptive resilience as architects of relational infrastructure, sustaining bilateral ties through economic, cultural, and institutional capital flows that redefine engagement beyond state-centric diplomacy.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

JOÃO SIMÕES, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1437-5527

Assistant Professor at City University of Macau (China). He holds a Ph.D. in Portuguese-speaking Countries Studies from the same university, a Master’s degree in Chinese Studies from the University of Aveiro, Portugal, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Lisbon, Portugal. Prior to his current role, he taught at Xi’an International Studies University, China. His current research focuses on Lusophony and the interactions between Portuguese-speaking countries and China, as well as energy geopolitics.

ANDREIA SOFIA DA SILVA, https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0791-2961

She holds a degree in Journalism from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Coimbra and a master’s degree in Contemporary History from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Nova University of Lisbon (Portugal), where she is also pursuing her Ph.D. in the same field. She works as a journalist for the daily newspaper Hoje Macau as a Portugal correspondent and is the creator of the podcast Macau na Bagagem, a project focused on collecting testimonies about Macau and its experiences. Her academic research primarily centers on the 20th-century history of Macau, with a particular focus on the Estado Novo period. She is the author of the book O Lápis Vermelho - A Censura do Estado Novo à Imprensa de Macau, which examines the role and operations of the Press Censorship Commission in Macau during the Estado Novo era, analyzing its impact on both Portuguese and Chinese newspapers.

Downloads

Published

2026-02-11

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 2, TD2 (2026): Thematic Dossier - Portugal and China in International Relations: Historical Legacies and Contemporary Dynamics

Section

ARTICLES