Almost six months after Prime Minister Antonis Samaras went to China to push closer ties in business and tourism, Greece’s new Ambassador in Beijing said the two countries should emphasize economic cooperation and cultural exchanges.
“The political ties between China and Greece are at an excellent level,” Vassilios Costis told the Xinhua news agency in China. “But our economic and commercial relations lag behind a little bit.”
He said Chinese interest and investments in Greece have helped during a crushing economic crisis. Chinese enterprises such as China Ocean Shipping Group Company (COSCO), Huawei and ZTE have invested heavily in Greece, helping with lagging privatization and job creation to try to offset a record 27.6 percent jobless rate.
COSCO’s investment in the Greek port of Piraeus has turned the port from loss to profit by 2010. The shipping giant has provided more than 800 jobs. “We need more companies like COSCO,” said the ambassador.
When Samaras visited China in May, the two governments expressed the hope to double bilateral trade by 2015 from $4 billion to $8 billion with Greece desperate for cash injections as it’s under a staggering $430 billion debt. “To double them in two years is rather ambitious, but it’s much better to set targets so we can do our best to meet them,” said Costis.
“The top priority is not only economic cooperation but also the cultural exchanges between the two countries,” said Costis. He stressed that improved cultural exchanges are the basis for a sound and productive evolution of bilateral relations.
A lot needs to be done in terms of people-to-people exchanges: more exchange programs and scholarships for Greek and Chinese students, more exchanges between scientists, and more cultural events in Greek cities. “We need more ways to know about China,” he said.
“In Greece we need some people to become Sinologists, to become experts on China in many fields, not only on political and strategic issues, but also on culture and social science, because China is the number two largest economy in the world. Once we become familiar with each other, we will react more positively, which constitutes the basis of economic and political relations,” said Costis.
“During my tenure my colleagues and I will do our utmost to pursue tangible improvement in our cultural relations so as to enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership,” he said to Xinhua.
Greece is also seeing growing numbers of Chinese tourists – a welcome boost for Greece’s biggest industry, he said. It is estimated that 60,000 Chinese tourists would set foot on the beautiful country in 2013, a 70-percent rise year on year, said the ambassador. The number could be doubled if a direct flight between Greece and China is available, he said.
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