All-China journalists association held a media exchange seminar about building a bridge between China and the EU for better understanding and cooperation on April 9, 2014.

The seminar focused on communication over peace, growth, reform and civilization between China and Europe, as well as the important concept of developing the “Greece and Maritime Silk Road.”

The meeting was attended by Greek ambassador to China, minister of the embassy and journalists from Chinese mainstream media.

Location, location, location!

Greek ambassador to China Costis Vassilios emphasized Greek’s intention towards having more close cooperation with China in the fields like transportation and infrastructure. He also mentioned that Greece shows great interest in the Maritime Silk Road project as it possesses the prime location and a set of relatively developed infrastructure.

Greece is located at the crossroads where Asia, Europe and Africa are connected, and it is the ideal place to enter the emerging markets of South-Eastern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean regions. The minister indicated that Chinese goods can arrive 7-12 days earlier if used the Piraeus Port to enter the European market compared with using other European ports.

Closer cooperation on the way

Vassilios pointed out that Greek is now walking out of the shadow of the financial crisis, and gets prepared for close interaction with China in transportation and infrastructure.

“This is not only about China and Greece, we want more countries to benefit from it,” he said.

Actually, some leading companies in China have already begun cooperation with Greece in transportation. Vassilios said Huawei and ZTE have already built logistics centers at the famous Piraeus port and are planning for expansion in the country.