Unusually among Western countries, Greece has shown little hesitation in furthering its relationship with China, both economic and cultural and in the field of tourism. The acquisition of the port of Piraeus by the Chinese company COSCO, which owns a majority share in the operating company and runs the port in return for an annual payment of €100 million to the Greek government, has been a success. COSCO has expanded the port’s handling facilities, enacted staffing efficiencies and tripled container throughput.

At the same time Greece has not fallen into the debt dependency characteristic of some countries who have joined China’s Belt and Road initiative. Speaking at the Economist’s 27th Annual Government Round Table conference at the end of October, the Prime Minister made it clear that Athens is not dependent on Chinese funds. “China is not a major investor for Greece, given that it has only made one major investment in the port of Piraeus years ago, which was certainly successful overall,” he said.

In Crete, there have been regular contacts between Chinese officials and the Regional Government and universities, while the island was receiving a growing number of Chinese tourists before the impact of the Covid pandemic – a phenomenon observed even Kolymbari.

Official visit to China
At the beginning of November Kyriakos Mitsotakis made an official trip to China where he had meetings with the country’s national and political leadership, including the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, the Premier Li Qiang, and the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji. The aim of the visit was to strengthen bilateral economic relations.

Addressing the Chinese President in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 3^rd November, the Prime Minister pointed out that it was four years since the Chinese President had visited Athens and that a lot had happened in the meantime. Emphasising Greece’s economic progress, he noted the government’s satisfaction that two of China’s biggest credit rating agencies had upgraded Greece’s sovereign credit rating. He placed particular emphasis on economic cooperation and specifically on increasing Greek exports, especially of agricultural products to China, as well as on cooperation in tourism with the aim of restoring Chinese tourist arrivals in Greece to pre-pandemic levels.

The two men inevitably discussed the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East, with Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasising Greece’s role as a pillar of stability in the wider area, being in regular communication with its allies and other leaders in the Arab world. There was also an exchange of views on EU-China relations, with the Prime Minister pointing out the mutual interest in maintaining a constructive and stable relationship and emphasising Greece’s potential role as a “bridge” in that relationship.

Green buses for Athens and Thessaloniki
The Prime Minister was accompanied by the minister for Infrastructure and Transport Christos Staikouras, who met separately with Wang Wentao, Chairman of International Business at the Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Co Ltd, and Jack Li, CEO of Yutong’s European Division. Yutong, which is one of the world’s biggest bus manufacturers, is the contractor for the supply of an initial 250 electric buses for use in Athens and Thessaloniki. Under discussion was the progress of the company’s contractual obligations for the timely delivery of the buses, as well as the group’s participation in future tenders for the supply of vehicles using emissions-free technology. According to an announcement by the the ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the project remains on schedule, with delivery due at the end of April 2024.

Following the Prime Minister’s visit, on 11th November the Secretary General of Transport Yiannis Xifaras and ministry officials attended quality checks at Yutong’s premises in China which were carried out to ensure that a model bus and ancillary equipment, including a charger and mobile emergency charging unit, met the tender specifications.

With the checks having been successfully passed, the buses can now go into production. The 250 buses are part of a total of 1,300 to be ordered to upgrade the bus fleet of Athens and Thessaloniki. The total project value of €110,825,000, not including VAT, is being covered by the EU Recovery Fund.

While in Beijing Mr Staikouras also signed a bilateral Air Services Agreement aimed at modernising and liberalising the framework for air travel between Greece and China. In an interview with China Today, the minister said:
“This agreement establishes a modern and liberalised framework for the operation of direct air services between our two countries, further promotes aviation relations and facilitates the movement of people and goods, becoming a key factor in the growth of bilateral tourism and commercial needs. We are pleased that the Shanghai-headquartered Juneyao Airlines recently announced three flights per week between Shanghai and Athens, starting in April 2024.”

Representing the Prime Minister, Mr Staikouras also attended the opening of the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, where Greece had a national stand representing the sectors of industry and construction, shipping, gastronomy/Mediterranean diet, tourism and culture, as well as a sectoral stand for food in which 20 Greek companies were represented.

Other members of the Greek delegation were the deputy Foreign minister for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Fragogiannis, and the ministry’s General Secretary for International Economic Relations and Openness, Maira Myrogianni.