CHINA

Chinese investors are interested in repeating the success of investments in the port of Piraeus and the IPTO power grid, eyeing new opportunities in transportation, energy and shipping, China's ambassador to Greece, Xiao Junzheng, told Business Daily in an interview.

The aim is to restart freight trains on 10 December after the huge damage caused by the bad weather. The issue is of great concern to Cosco and was raised during Mitsotakis' recent trip to China.

Chinese shipyards are gaining favor among Greek shippers thanks to lending provided by banks in China but their peers at Korea remains top choice for Greek interests due to the technological edge they offer. Chinese shipyards have taken on deals to build 56 vessels for Greek shippers, worth $2.3 billion, reflecting the strong ties between the two sides.

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is well known in Greece as the country's largest port, Piraeus, is in the path of the Modern Silk Road project. What is not as well known in Greece is the Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) initiative which is being led by China's State Grid, the Asian country's largest government company, that controls 24 percent of Greece's ADMIE.

President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping arrived in Athens shortly after 19:30 on Sunday night for an official visit to the Greek capital until November 12. The Chinese president and his spouse were welcomed at Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.