tender is slow to proceed. "The Iberian Peninsula is in fact the natural geographical interface of the economic belt of the 'Silk Road', which now stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic through the land mass of Eurasia, with the 'Silk Sea Route' to the Iberian-American, Caribbean and United States, as well as south towards Africa," says the study of the institute led by Helga and Lindon La Rouche. During the official visit of the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party this week, Xi Jinping has repeatedly mentioned the interest of the world's second largest economy in investing in and creating business partnerships with Portuguese companies and other entities in the field of port infrastructure and the economy of the sea, among other sectors of activity. Aware of this lively interest of the People's Republic of China in our assets in port infrastructure and the continental shelf, one of the largest in the world, the Minister of the Sea, Ana Paula Vitorino led, about a year ago, an official visit to the Middle Kingdom, with one of the largest business rewards ever - 126 companies. The results of these contacts and talks could soon be known, knowing that China's interest is not limited to the new container terminal in Sines. The Alentejo port, due to its geographical location and natural conditions that allow the large vessels to dock - which continue to grow in size from year to year - has other advantages, including energy, logistics, and other branches of activity. The port of Sines is the largest national port in a busy cargo, with a share of more than 50% of the total Portuguese port sector of the continent. According to data released by the AMT - Mobility and Transport Authority - in the first nine months of this year, the port of Sines handled a total of 36.3 million tonnes of goods. Despite a 6% drop compared to the same period last year, the Alentejo port was responsible for a 51.4% share of the national port sector from January to September, excluding the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira. In the containerized cargo segment, the predominance of the port of Sines is even more evident. Despite a slight fall of 0.1% in the period under review with respect to the number of TEUs (the standard measure equivalent to 20-foot-long containers) moved, the Alentejo port handled a