He plays an important role Hellas V China European strategy is confirmed by the visit of the vice-premier of the country, Sun Chunlang. For Greece, cooperation with Beijing is a strategic goal, as Greek officials have repeatedly stated. Ms. Sun to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Picrammeno and President of Parliament Costa Tasula, but not with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Athens does not want to be at the center of a dispute between Beijing and Washington over spy balloons. It is recalled that Mr. Mitsotakis will receive the US Secretary of State on Monday, Anthony Blinken.

In essence, however, Sino-Greek relations are strong and growing in the economic field. The participation of 67% of Chinese Cosco in the port of Piraeus is the “pearl in the crown” of Sino-Greek cooperation. The company has invested more than one billion euros in the infrastructure of the port, since 2010 Piraeus has climbed dozens of positions in the world ranking in terms of container throughput. Despite delays that delayed Cosco’s plans for the port – a topic that Ms. Sun will also discuss – Piraeus remains a centerpiece of China’s Balkan policy.

“One Belt, One Road”

This is also evident from Greece’s participation in the 14+1 scheme, which is part of China’s broader One Belt, One Road economic program. 14+1, which involves all the countries of the Balkan Peninsula, seeks closer cooperation between Central and Eastern Europe and China. It is noted that Greece is the only country that joined the scheme (in 2019) after its creation in 2012, while the Baltic countries left. China has greatly increased its presence and influence in the Western Balkans (mainly in Serbia and Montenegro), with Piraeus becoming the region’s main entry point for goods. Despite Germany’s railway alliance with China, Greece remains the first stop for Chinese goods, with the final destination being Central and Eastern Europe. While the European integration of the countries of the Western Balkans is delayed, a constant increase in the Chinese presence in the region is expected.

China’s cooperation with the Balkan countries, like with Greece, began on the basis of infrastructure and transport projects, but has also expanded to other areas such as energy, green transition and digitalization. Important initiatives have also been taken to support Chinese tourism in the country.

Chinese bank

The Bank of China, the first Chinese financial institution in the country, has also been operating in Greece since 2019. Although its development was delayed due to the pandemic, the bank announced its intention to support both Chinese companies that have expressed interest in investing in Greece and to create a platform for partnerships between Greek and Chinese companies.

It is clear that the dynamic cooperation between Greece and China will continue to develop. At a difficult time for Western-China relations, with trade disputes and difficult diplomatic episodes such as the recent flying object incident over the US, Greece’s open policy towards the Chinese economy will make it a critical entry point for the European Union and the Balkans.