Greece set to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping as EU, US look on with concern

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be keen to secure Chinese investment without upsetting his allies in Brussels, Washington

Xi is expected to visit Cosco-run port of Piraeus and witness the opening of a new Bank of China branch in Athens

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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ was elected on a promise to transform Greece into a hub for foreign investment. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:00pm, 9 Nov 2019Updated: 11:08pm, 9 Nov 2019

With Chinese President Xi Jinping set to arrive in Athens on Sunday, Greece will be keen to use the trip to its advantage while not upsetting its allies within the European Union or the United States, observers say.

Xi is set to meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the second time in a matter of days, after Mitsotakis visited Shanghai earlier in the week for the China International Import Expo. On that occasion Xi floated the possibility of Greece “becoming a logistics centre” for handling Chinese goods exported to Europe.

During his three-day trip, Xi is expected to visit Piraeus – the Mediterranean Sea port controlled by China’s state-owned Cosco – witness the opening of a new Bank of China branch in Athens, and visit historical sites such as the Acropolis.

A visit to the port of Piraeus, which is controlled by China’s state-owned Cosco, is on the cards for Xi Jinping during his three-day trip to Greece. Photo: Xinhua

Mitsotakis – whose election win in July was premised on a vision to transform Greece into a hub for foreign investment as well as turning it into an export-led economy – will be keen to secure Chinese investment.

However, EU and US diplomats will be looking on with caution as China continues to show an interest in Greece, and especially in relation to Athens’ participation in the Beijing-led “17+1” cooperation platform that includes Eastern and Southeastern European countries that are both inside and outside the EU.