As tourism and trading links soar, will Greece become the bridge between China and the rest of Europe?
Visitor numbers are soaring since Air China began direct Beijing-Athens flights, while Chinese shipping company Cosco has taken majority ownership of the Piraeus Port – a potentially crucial component of the Belt and Road Initiative
Priceless relics that belonged to one of China’s greatest leaders will leave Beijing’s Forbidden City for the first time and be displayed in the birthplace of democracy.
Reconstructed rooms and more than 150 artefacts from the life of the 18th-century Emperor Qianlong will go on show in September in the white marble Acropolis Museum in Athens.
Over the past three years, Chinese tourism to Greece has grown rapidly, due partly to the scheduling of a direct flight three times a week from Beijing operated by Air China, cutting the journey time to 10 hours.
According to the Greek Ministry of Tourism, there were 120,000 Chinese visitors to Greece in 2017, an increase of more than 35 per cent over the previous year – not counting those who entered the EU through another country, such as France or Italy.
Only one in 10 Chinese have a passport, so it is a market that has exponential growth potential
Athens is the favourite destination, followed by the island of Santorini, where newlywed couples go for drawn-out photo shoots, paying small fortunes for romantic shots with a backdrop of pristine white villages and cobalt sea.