The Chinese Embassy in Athens held a reception for the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The Greek government was represented by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for Economic Diplomacy and Openness, Kostas Fragogiannis. Also present were Development Minister Konstantinos Skrekas, former President of the Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos, former Prime Minister George Papandreou, former President of the Athens Academy Michael – Konstantinos Stathopoulos, the president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Kapralos and many representatives from the sectors of shipping, science and technology, culture, media, members of foreign diplomatic delegations and representatives of the Chinese community in Greece.
In his speech, Ambassador Xiao Junzheng underlined that “China and Greece, two ancient civilizations, must further join forces to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, contributing to building a universal community with a common future …This year is the 10th anniversary of the ‘One Belt One Road Initiative’ and the 5th anniversary of the signing of the cooperation agreement between the governments of China and Greece under the Initiative.”
China and Greece’s trade volume exceeded 9.6 billion dollars
As the Ambassador said, “the total trade volume between China and Greece exceeded 9.6 billion dollars from January to August this year, with Greece remaining China’s 4th largest trading partner among Central and Eastern European countries. “
He added that “there is still tremendous potential for cooperation in areas such as transportation, renewable energy, information technology, and green development.”
“Standing at a new historical starting point, China is willing to continue to strengthen the alignment of its development strategy with that of Greece, work together for the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, promote the mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries so as to produce more fruitful results, and elevate the China-Greece comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights,” the Ambassador stressed.
He explained that “over the past 74 years, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people have successfully opened up a new path – the Chinese path to modernization – transforming the country from a state of poverty to the world’s second-largest economy, and are currently striving towards the second centenary goal of building a modern and powerful socialist country in all respects. Today’s China has become the mainstay of safeguarding world peace and promoting common development. Since the founding of New China, we have never initiated any war nor occupied an inch of other people’s land. President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, providing Chinese solutions for effectively addressing global challenges, leading innovations in global governance, and advancing human civilization.”
Kostas Fragogiannis: New opportunities for cooperation
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for Economic Diplomacy and Openness, Kostas Fragogiannis congratulated China on its national holiday and specifically referred to Sino-Greek relations and the achievements of our mutually beneficial cooperation in recent years. He also noted that the two countries look forward to further strengthening practical cooperation in the future in trade, energy, tourism, agriculture, science, technology, among others. The “One Belt, One Road” Initiative, which has its roots in the ancient Silk Road, has enriched the overall strategic partnership of our countries, offering new opportunities for the development of bilateral relations and the economic and commercial cooperation.
