Georgiadis: Cooperation with China to grow further

Greece and China have proven their friendship in recent years.

Looking to the future, Greece expects to enhance ties with China and build a brighter future together, Greek Minister of Development and Investments Adonis Georgiadis told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Greece and China are bound together by their cultural heritages, which represent ancient civilizations of the West and the East respectively, said Georgiadis.

China supported Greece during the difficult years of the debt crisis which brought the country to the brink of default, the minister said.

In the post-bailout era, Greece expects China to stand by its side as a partner in the future, he said.

In recent years, China has become one of the biggest investors in Greece, Georgiadis added.

According to data from China’s Ministry of Commerce, total bilateral trade between China and Greece reached $7.06 billion in 2018.

In the first nine months of this year, the two-way trade topped 6.35 billion dollars, up 21.4 percent year-on-year.

So far, Chinese investments in Greece have exceeded $2 billion, providing over 3,000 direct jobs in Greece.

[Xinhua]