ATHENS: Greece’s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras hopes his four-day trip to China this week will help his country’s ailing economy by attracting investment and promoting the export of Greek products.
Upon the invitation of the head of the Chinese government Li Keqiang, Samaras will visit Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou from tomorrw to Sunday, and will meet several Chinese officials.
He will thus become the second EU leader, after French President Francois Hollande, to visit the Asian country since the new Chinese leadership came to power.
Samaras will be accompanied by his ministers of foreign affairs, tourism, development and merchant marine and a group of around 60 Greek businessmen.
Emphasising the importance of the visit, local media report that the premier, who is expected to sign a series of bilateral and business agreements, hopes to turn Greece into a gateway to Europe and will discuss issues of transport, energy, privatisations, shipping and tourism.
Already in Beijing, Deputy Minister for Development Notis Mitarachi said the visit signalled “a new page” in the relations between the two countries.
“Greece’s relations with China have been good for years. It is now important to further develop specific collaboration agreements regarding investment and exports,” Mitarachi told the Athens News Agency (ANA) over the weekend.
“There is particular interest (on behalf of China) in infrastructure, namely ports and airports,” he added.
China has recently made several big investments in various sectors of the crisis-hit Greek economy. Most notably, in 2008 China’s giant transportation group Cosco became a major force in the main Greek port of Piraeus near Athens, while in March, US computer giant Hewlett Packard sealed a deal with Cosco to move a key part of its regional supplies through Piraeus.
According to a study quoted Sunday in daily Kathimerini, product distribution in Piraeus has more than tripled in the past three years, while distribution in other Mediterranean ports only increased by 20 percent.
The Cosco-HP agreement coincided with the completion of Greek state rail operator Trainose’s new railway line that connects the port with the main European freight network.
Trainose is up for privatisation.
According to ANA, Samaras’s meetings will focus on further developing Piraeus as a gateway of Chinese products into Europe.
Chinese ambassador in Athens Du Qiwen stressed the importance of Samaras’ meetings.
“There is serious interest shown by a group of Chinese businesses. They are seriously interested in participating in the privatisation process of Athens international airport,” he told local reporters last week.
Qiwen, who reportedly described the Cosco investment as “win win,” said prospects for the export of Greek olive oil, wine, furs and marble are very promising.
According to data provided by the Greek-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, bilateral commerce between the two countries, negligible in the 1970s, jumped to ¤3.29bn ($4.3bn) in 2010. In 2011, despite the economic crisis, it reached ¤3.25bn. AFP
