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12/11/2019

Xi, Greek PM visit Piraeus Port, hail BRI cooperation

GREECE-CHINESE PRESIDENT-PIRAEUS PORT-VISIT

Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with representatives of local staff members as he visits the Piraeus Port in Greece, Nov. 11, 2019. Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan, accompanied by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his wife, visited the Piraeus Port on Monday. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

ATHENS, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday visited the Piraeus Port, a flagship project in bilateral collaboration, and hailed it as a success under the Belt and Road cooperation.

In 2009, a subsidiary of China Ocean Shipping Company, also known as COSCO, started managing the Piraeus Port’s container terminals. In 2016, COSCO acquired a majority stake in the port and formally took over its management and operation.

So far, the project has created jobs for over 10,000 local people directly and indirectly, and has built the Piraeus Port into the largest port in the Mediterranean region and one of the fastest growing container terminals in the world.

Upon their arrival, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan, accompanied by the Greek prime minister and his wife, were warmly welcomed by Chinese and foreign employees waving national flags of the two countries.

Talking with Xi about their work and life, representatives of local staff extended heartfelt gratitude to COSCO for providing them with job opportunities in the most difficult times during the Greek debt crisis.

Thanks to the Chinese company, they now enjoy stable jobs and happy lives, the Greek employees told Xi.

With the Piraeus Port becoming an important fruit in jointly building the Belt and Road, the local staff said they feel very proud and have full confidence in the port’s future.

Delighted to visit the port, Xi said that seeing is believing, and that he has seen here today that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was not a slogan or tale, but a successful practice and brilliant reality.

Noting that the BRI upholds the principle of extensive consultation, joint development and shared benefits, Xi said no one makes decisions for others, and instead all participants share responsibilities and benefits in BRI cooperation.

China, in its external exchanges, upholds the right approach to justice and interests, said the Chinese president, adding that he is delighted to know that COSCO’s Piraeus Port project was able to help local people through hard times.

Xi called local workers important participants in and contributors to jointly building the Belt and Road as they have helped the Piraeus Port develop well, and wished them success at work and a happy life.

The Piraeus Port project is a successful example of China-Greece cooperation featuring complementing each other’s advantages, combining forces, and achieving mutual benefits, Xi said.

He urged the two sides to make continued efforts to further construct and develop the port, achieve the goal of making the port a regional logistics distribution center, and advance the building of the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line.

Expressing his confidence in the unlimited prospects of the Piraeus Port, Xi said the cooperation fruits will continue to benefit the people of both countries and the region. He also conveyed his wish that the two countries will continuously make new achievements in their cooperation.

For his part, Mitsotakis underlined that China helped the Greek people when his country was embroiled in the debt crisis.

Facts have proved that the Piraeus Port project is mutually beneficial, and has strongly boosted the recovery of the Greek economy and social development, served the interests of Greece and its people, and received the support from the Greek people, he said.

From that the Greek side has come to a deep understanding of the true meaning of “friends,” added the prime minister.

Greece is willing to join efforts with China to further expand and strengthen the Piraeus Port project and make it a paragon in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, Mitsotakis said.

Xi arrived in the Greek capital of Athens on Sunday for a three-day state visit to the European country.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in Athens, Belt and Road Cooperation, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China Ocean Shipping Company, Chinese President Xi Jinping, container terminals, European country, Greek capital, Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mediterranean region, Peng Liyuan, Piraeus port, State visit, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

08/11/2019

Xi Focus: Xi’s trip to Greece, Brazil to advance bilateral ties, BRICS cooperation

BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to Greece and Brazil is expected to intensify China’s relations with the two countries and enhance BRICS cooperation, officials said here Thursday.

At the invitation of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Xi will pay a state visit to Greece from Nov. 10 to 12, said Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

This will be the first visit to the European country by a Chinese president after an interval of 11 years, which will exert a historic influence of China-Greece ties and push forward China-Europe relations and Belt and Road cooperation, Qin said.

He noted that China and Greece, both with old civilizations, are trustworthy and helpful friends respecting and supporting each other on core interests and major concerns.

Greece is among the first European Union (EU) countries to sign an intergovernmental cooperation document with China to jointly construct the Belt and Road, Qin said, adding that Greek prime ministers attended the first and second Belt and Road Forum on International Cooperation in Beijing.

The two sides have conducted fruitful cooperation on the principle of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation and witnessed increased bilateral trade and investment, Qin said.

“The Piraeus Port project, a flagship project for the Belt and Road cooperation, has made important contributions to the local economic and social development of Greece and played an important role in advancing connectivity in various regions around the globe,” said the vice foreign minister.

Speaking of people-to-people and cultural exchanges, Qin said peoples of the two countries respect each other and advocate openness and inclusiveness in their close interactions.

“Both China and Greece hold that different civilizations should respect each other and facilitate experience sharing, mutual learning and conversation among civilizations,” he said.

China and Greece are new friends of the “17 +1” cooperation. In April this year, Greece became a full member of the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Cooperation Mechanism, adding new opportunities to the development of this mechanism, which is also conducive to developing China-EU relations and China-EU connectivity, Qin said.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis led a delegation to the ongoing second China International Import Expo (CIIE). Xi met with him, and the two leaders visited the Greek pavilion, Qin said.

According to Qin, in Greece, Xi is scheduled to hold talks respectively with Pavlopoulos and Mitsotakis, in a bid to consolidate political mutual trust and traditional friendship between the two countries, intensify pragmatic cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure and other fields, uphold multilateralism and free trade and build an open world economy.

Besides, Qin noted that the Chinese and Greek leaders will conduct cultural exchanges and advocate dialogues among civilizations.

The two sides will issue a joint statement on strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership, draw up a blueprint for the development of bilateral ties, sign intergovernmental cooperation documents on investment and education, and ink commercial agreements in such fields as ports, finance, and energy.

Greece, in the West, and China, in the East, are heirs of ancient civilizations. Noting that both China and Greece are faced with the mission of rejuvenation and prosperity, Qin said the two countries can enlighten the world to deal with various problems and challenges.

Xi’s upcoming visit to Greece shows respect and appreciation of the ancient Chinese civilization to the ancient Greek civilization, as well as the expectation of jointly building a community with a shared future for humanity, Qin said.

It is believed the visit will elevate the level of bilateral cooperation in an all-round way and inject new impetus to the development of China-EU relations with fruitful results, Qin stressed.

According to Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, at the invitation of Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, Xi will attend the 11th BRICS summit in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, from Nov. 13 to 14.

BRICS is the acronym for an emerging-market bloc that groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Xi is scheduled to attend the closing ceremony of the BRICS business forum, closed and public meetings of the BRICS leaders’ meeting and the BRICS leaders’ dialogue with the BRICS Business Council and the New Development Bank. The leaders’ declaration is expected to be released, Ma said.

Xi will hold talks with Bolsonaro, sign cooperation documents in various fields, and hold bilateral meetings with leaders of other participating countries to exchange views on ties and BRICS cooperation, Ma said.

As the world is undergoing changes rarely seen in a century and confronted with unprecedented opportunities and challenges, BRICS countries have drawn ever-growing attention worldwide, Ma said, stressing that China appreciates the efforts made by Brazil in its preparation and stands ready to jointly prompt the meeting to achieve fruitful results.

He voiced expectations of the Chinese side.

“The Chinese side hopes that BRICS countries will further enhance political mutual trust, boost mutually beneficial cooperation and forge a more comprehensive, closer and broader partnership,” Ma said.

As for safeguarding multilateralism and strengthening global governance, Ma voiced China’s determination to make joint efforts with other BRICS countries to safeguard the rules-based multilateral trade system, the international order based on international law, and the international system with the UN at the core.

This aims to promote a more equitable, open, transparent and inclusive global governance system and safeguard common interests and development space of emerging markets and developing countries, Ma said.

“China believes the five BRICS countries should follow the trend of the new industrial revolution and facilitate economic transformation and upgrading,” Ma noted.

As an important outcome of last year’s Johannesburg meeting, the BRICS partnership for a new industrial revolution has progressed well in the past year, he said, adding that China is willing to work with concerned parties to accelerate the development of the partnership and tap more potential for cooperation projects, so as to propel high-quality development of the five countries.

“China looks forward to more cooperation on economy, trade, finance, political security and people-to-people exchanges, with projects meeting the development needs of the five countries and serving the interests of their peoples,” he said.

The Chinese side believes that with concerted efforts of all parties and under the political guidance of the five countries’ leaders, the 11th BRICS Summit will be a full success, Ma said, stressing that the BRICS countries will continue to contribute to world peace and development and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in 11th BRICS summit, ancient civilizations, Belt and Road Cooperation, belt and road forum, Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), Belt and Road Forum of International Cooperation, bilateral ties, blueprint, Brasilia, Brazil, Brazilian President, BRICS Business Council, BRICS cooperation, China alert, China International Import Expo (CIIE), China-Central and Eastern European Countries Cooperation Mechanism, China-Europe relations, China-Greece ties, Chinese President Xi Jinping, comprehensive strategic partnership, education, energy, European Union (EU), Finance, free trade, Greece, Greek pavilion, Greek President, Greek Prime Minister, heirs, India alert, Infrastructure, intergovernmental cooperation documents, Investment, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, multilateralism, new development bank, open world economy, Piraeus Port project, ports, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, prosperity, rejuvenation, Russia, second China International Import Expo (CIIE), South Africa, Trade, Uncategorized, visit | Leave a Comment »

04/11/2019

Xi Focus: Xi hosts banquet for guests attending int’l import expo

SHANGHAI, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet Monday evening in Shanghai to welcome distinguished guests from around the world, who are here to attend the second China International Import Expo (CIIE).

The CIIE is designed to trade goods and services, exchange culture and ideas, welcome visitors from across the globe, benefit the whole world and respond to the aspirations of people from various countries to live a better life, Xi said.

Xi and Peng had photos with foreign leaders and their spouses, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi extended a warm welcome to foreign leaders and guests.

China has made remarkable achievements over the past 70 years since the founding of New China, especially during the country’s 40-strong years of reform and opening up. “From the course of China’s development, we realize that China will do well only when the world does well, and vice versa,” Xi said.

In a short time, the CIIE started from scratch and quickly attracted wide participation of countries and enterprises from all over the world, said Xi, noting that it has become a major initiative in the history of global trade and an important platform for international cooperation in the new era.

By holding the CIIE and proactively expanding imports, China is taking the initiative to pursue a new round of high-level opening up, deepen international cooperation in advancing the Belt and Road Initiative and jointly foster an open global economy, Xi noted.

He expressed his hope that various countries can enhance cooperation and promote the development of the world economy.

The second CIIE will be held in Shanghai between Nov. 5 and 10.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in 40-strong years of reform and opening up, Ana Brnabic, Andrew Holness, Banquet, Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, Greek Prime Minister, hosted, Jamaican Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Peng Liyuan, second China International Import Expo (CIIE), Serbian Prime Minister, Shanghai, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

07/04/2019

Greece says EU’s China concerns must not harm its economic interests

Deputy prime minister Yannis Dragasakis hopes ‘logic will prevail’ ahead of EU-China summit
Affirms Greek support for Beijing’s belt and road plan for global trade

Greece’s deputy prime minister Yannis Dragasakis says the European Union’s suspicion about China is in danger of becoming a “self-fulfilling prophecy”. Photo: Alamy

The deputy prime minister of Greece has warned that European Union suspicion of China is in danger of becoming a “self-fulfilling prophecy” while reaffirming his country’s support for Beijing’s controversial “Belt and Road Initiative”.

In an exclusive interview with theSouth China Morning Post in Athens on Monday, Yannis Dragasakis said he hoped logic would prevail in the EU’s relationship with the world’s second-largest economy.

“We would like to see the EU having good relations with China,” he said.

“Seriously, we should start [the discussion about China] from the opposite end, which is, what are the needs and problems that we can work on with China?”

Dragasakis was speaking ahead of the annual summit between the EU and China in Brussels on Wednesday, which this year will take place against a backdrop of suspicion among some EU countries over Beijing’s political and commercial ambitions in the region.

Europe has been divided over whether to work with China’s enormous belt and road plan, which aims to link China by sea and land with southeast and central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, through an infrastructure network along the lines of the old Silk Road.

Italy becomes first G7 nation to sign up for China’s belt and road plan

Washington has criticised the scheme as a “vanity project”, and the EU looks set to refer to China as a “strategic rival”, with some European leaders fearing Beijing’s diplomatic manoeuvres could derail unity among member states.

Last month Italy, which is grappling with its third recession in a decade, became the first G7 nation to join the belt and road programme, in a bid to boost exports and upgrade its port facilities.

Last year Greece – ranked second lowest in economic competitiveness within the EU by the World Economic Forum in 2018 – signed up to the scheme, after years of relying on China to help it through its own financial crisis.

Chinese state-owned shipping company Cosco bought a 51 per cent stake in Pireaus Port, Greece’s most important infrastructure hub in 2016 with an option to buy another 16 per cent after five years.

China aims to make the port the “dragon head” of its belt and road programme, serving as a gateway for its cargo to Europe and North Africa.

Will Greece be China’s bridge to the rest of Europe?

With its warming relationship with Beijing, Athens has, at times, departed from EU positions on China.

In 2016, Greece helped stop the EU from issuing a unified statement against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. The following year, Athens stopped the bloc from condemning China’s human rights record. Days later, it opposed tougher screening on China’s investments in Europe.

Dragasakis was clear that the EU should not devise any policies that may hinder Greece’s ability to revive its economy.

“Greece badly needs investment. We hope logic will prevail at the end of the day, which means we should take advantage of all opportunities and build on these prospects to further our collaboration,” he said.

“Greece will keep following a multidimensional policy, an inclusive policy, without excluding anyone.”

Dragasakis hit back at France and Germany for treating China as a geopolitical rival, while simultaneously signing up to trade agreements with Beijing.

Days before receiving Chinese President Xi Jinping in France last month, President Emmanuel Macron declared that the “time of European naivety” towards China was over – a remark the Greek deputy prime minister described as “interesting” during the interview.

“It’s so interesting, yes. Mr Macron, despite his statement, actually signed very large-scale agreements with China,” he said, adding: “Germany, the same”.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Elysee Palace in Paris last month. Photo: AFP

Macron invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to his meeting in Paris with Xi, where the four sought to reassure each other over economic cooperation between the European trading bloc and China.

Dragasakis said Greece’s relations with China were based on “very solid ground” with the two countries sharing complementary interests, particularly through the belt and road plan.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is understood to be considering joining Foreign Minister George Katrougalos at the belt and road summit in Beijing, which will be hosted by Xi later this month.

More than 40 heads of state are expected to attend the summit, with China’s foreign ministry recently saying that Europe had started to see the value of the scheme.

If confirmed, Tsipras’ presence at the summit will be interpreted as an attempt by Greece to consolidate Chinese support in the wake of Italy’s joining of the scheme.

He will also need to mend ties with Beijing, following a recent decision by Greece’s archaeological body to block a plan by Cosco to upgrade facilities at the Piraeus port, throwing the future of the multimillion euro privatisation deal into uncertainty.

Portugal’s support for China’s belt and road plan ‘bad news’ for EU

Dragasakis said there were strong prospects for the future relationship between Greece and China because of the two countries’ reciprocal interest.

Relations with other Asian countries, while not yet as close as Greek ties with China, would continue to be developed, he said.

Dragasakis said Athens would not adopt discriminatory policies against any country as it looked to shore up foreign investments to boost its economy.

India, for instance, has set its sights on Greece as a potential business partner, with President Ram Nath Kovind becoming its first titular head of state to visit Greece last year.

“Relations with India are lagging behind – they are not at the same level as with China, but of course we are mulling further developments with India,” Dragasakis said, adding that Greece would also work more closely with Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.

Posted in Alexis Tsipras, Athens, Beijing, belt and road plan, belt and road summit, China alert, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Cosco, Deputy prime minister, foreign minister, France, George Katrougalos, Germany, Greece, Greek Prime Minister, India alert, Japan, Piraeus port, Portugal, President Emmanuel Macron, President Ram Nath Kovind, self-fulfilling prophecy, South China Sea, South Korea, Uncategorized, vanity-project, Vietnam, Washington, Yannis Dragasakis | Leave a Comment »

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