Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday said China and Portugal should enhance communication and coordination and jointly tackle common challenges faced by them. 

"The world is undergoing a special historical period," Xi said in a telephone conversation with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. "As countries across the world face common challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recovery and climate change, solidarity and cooperation are particularly needed." 

China has provided over 900 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to more than 100 countries, especially developing countries, Xi said, adding that China will strive to provide two billion doses to the world throughout this year. 

He said China is willing to continue to support Portugal's fight against the pandemic and promote the building of a global community of health for all. 

It is a dream of all Chinese people to realize national rejuvenation, he said, stressing that the Chinese Dream interconnects with the dreams of people in other countries. 

China is always "a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order," he said. China stands ready to work with Portugal and other peace-loving countries to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, he told Rebelo de Sousa.

Xi called for joint efforts between China and Portugal to deepen bilateral cooperation in fields such as energy, finance and infrastructure and conduct third-party market cooperation. China welcomes Portugal's participation in the Initiative on Partnership for Africa's Development, he said.  

The initiative was jointly launched by China and African countries in May during a United Nations Security Council high-level meeting. It aims to support post-epidemic reconstruction, development and revitalization in Africa. 

Xi also said China welcomes Portuguese athletes to participate in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. 

He expressed hope that Portugal will play a positive role in promoting the development of China-Europe relations. 

Rebelo de Sousa said relations between Portugal and China have maintained a good momentum of development in recent years and bilateral economic cooperation keeps deepening. Portugal welcomes Chinese companies to do business or conduct cooperation there, he added. 

Portugal and China share a lot of views and common interests on issues such as maintaining multilateralism and promoting peace and security in the world, he said. Portugal stands ready to work with China to support the role of the United Nations and strengthen communication and coordination within the Group of 20 (G20) and other multilateral frameworks, he told Xi. 

Rebelo de Sousa said Portugal appreciates China's role in promoting international cooperation against COVID-19 and is willing to enhance cooperation with China. 

China has important influence on regional hotspot issues including the situation in Afghanistan, he said, adding that Portugal supports China to play a bigger role.