Tsipras: Greece and China share a common vision for the future

Greece and China do not only share a common past but also a common vision for the future that will be based on the better knowledge of each other, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday while inaugurating the Greek Studies Centre at Beijing’s Foreign Studies University, during a visit to Beijing.

Following the inauguration, the prime minister tweeted about his meetings with Chinese business executives, saying that strategic energy projects – such as an underwater power cable linking Athens and Crete in the context of the EuroAsia Interconnector – were discussed.
In posts on his @PrimeministerGR account, Tsipras said that he met with economic actors in Beijing, including Chinese electricity company executives.
“Among others, we spoke with executives of the Chinese Electricity Company about projects of strategic importance, such as the Athens-Crete energy link in the context of the EuroAsia Interconnector,” the tweet said.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Greek Studies Centre earlier, Tsipras praised the role of educational and research institutions that can consistently pursue the common strategic target which is particularly important: namely, a full understanding between modern Greece and China. Understanding through their history and culture, which is the aim of the Greek Studies Centre.

Although Greece and China are geographically far away, they are linked by friendship and mutual appreciation, the prime minister said and added: Both countries are cradles of ancient civilizations and, at the same time, they enhance their cooperation with their eyes set on the future.

Culture, education and science, together with contacts and exchanges between peoples and civilians, formed the basis of the traditional Silk Road, linking China and Europe, with Greece playing a central role in these relations, said the prime minister.