The Chinese ambassador sent the message that Greece is at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa and is an important gateway from Asia to Europe. Xiao Juncheng.

The Chinese ambassador to Greece emphasized, in an interview he gave at the Chinese embassy in Athens, the cooperation between the two countries in the maritime field. “Both China and Greece are important shipping nations that highly value the protection and sustainable use of oceans and marine resources. We both have centuries-old maritime cultures. China is a world leader in shipbuilding and imports and exports of goods, while Greece is the largest shipping country in the world. Our maritime cooperation has become an important link in China-Greece relations,” he said.

He also made special reference to its importance port of Piraeus as a leading world-class logistics hub. “With the joint efforts of China and Greece, the container traffic of the port of Piraeus is among the highest in Europe, and China supports the development of the port of Piraeus into a leading world-class logistics hub,” Xiao Juncheng said, according to a press release. Chinese Embassy.

Outlining the level of Greek-Chinese economic relations, he pointed out that since the official visit of the President Xi Jinping in Greece in 2019, the volume of bilateral trade has increased significantly, from $8.47 billion in 2019 to $13.6 billion in 2023, which is a new record. “Today, China is Greece’s third largest trading partner worldwide and the largest trading partner outside the EU,” he noted.

Furthermore, he referred to the possibility of deepening cooperation in the fields of transport, green energy such as wind projects, telecommunications, digital technology.

At the same time, he underlined China’s will to facilitate the import of Greek products to the Chinese market, while he also invited Greek companies to invest in his country. Citing Chinese statistics, during the first half of this year, Greek exports to China increased by 23.8% year-on-year, reaching 565 million dollars. “The top five Greek exports to China are petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, ores, marble and iron ore, while the exports with the highest growth rates include leather cleaning products, pyrite, petroleum products, copper scrap and whey, with an annual increase of 275%, 161.2%, 86.5%, 76.1% and 53.1% respectively,” he said.

Besides, he pointed out that China has invited Greece to be an honored guest at the 4th China Exhibition with Central and Eastern European Countries in Ningbo in 2025, recalling that since the signing of the China-EU Geographical Indications Agreement in 2020, 16 Greek products have included in the list, which has enhanced the international image and purchasing value of Greek products and also provides more high-quality options for Chinese consumers. “China is willing to actively expand imports of high-quality Greek agricultural products,” he said at another point in his interview.

He did not fail to congratulate Greece on its election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2025-2026. “As a permanent member of the Security Council, China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Greece at the United Nations to jointly promote the appropriate resolution of international and regional issues such as Ukraine and Gaza, to support and jointly support an international order based on international law and to jointly contribute to the promotion of common security for mankind and lasting world peace,” the Chinese ambassador added.

Speaking about the reforms taking place in China, he said that Chinese modernization is human-centered and promotes social equality and justice, improving the welfare of its people.

Regarding China’s international role, he stressed that his country will remain committed to the basic state policy of opening up to the outside world and will adopt a more active opening up strategy.

In this light, he estimated that China’s overall deepening of reforms and opening up will not only benefit the Chinese people, but also create new opportunities for countries around the world, including Greece.

Finally, he referred to Beijing Declaration to end the division and strengthen Palestinian national unity. It is, as he said, “an important step towards the resolution of the Palestinian issue and the achievement of peace and stability in the Middle East”.