Greece boosting trade relations with China

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Greek Chinese Trade Relations

Greek-Chinese trade relations will expand further during Greece’s participation in the third China International Import Expo (CIIE), which is currently taking place in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10, Greek officials and business representatives told Chinese media agencies recently. Greece’s participation in the upcoming event aimed at promoting world trade will be its first physical presence in an exhibition since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, according to Enterprise Greece, the official trade and investment promotion agency of Greece.
“The CIIE is a very important initiative for the world … It is a symbol of China’s growing leadership in world trade, as well as an answer to rising trade protectionism internationally,” said Betty Alexandropoulou, executive director of Enterprise Greece.
As Greek delegates are preparing to head for Shanghai, they are hoping to build on the significant results of last year’s participation.”We expect Greek-Chinese trade relations to expand further. The CIIE is an important showcase for Greek exporters to show what they have to offer the Chinese market,” Ms Alexandropoulou said.
Greece’s participation in the second CIIE was a banner event for its exporters, as it was an honored country in the exhibition, she said. Besides swarms of visitors flocking to the Greek pavilion, a high-level business forum attracted more than 150 Chinese companies to engage with a large delegation of Greek companies spanning a variety of sectors from Food and Beverages to building materials, pharmaceuticals, ICT, maritime equipment and logistics among others, the official said.

Commitment to international cooperation amid COVID-19

By holding the 3rd China International Import Expo (CIIE) China shows its commitment to international cooperation in trade and globalization amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “It (the expo) is even more welcome as the world tries to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. China has successfully combated the virus up to now and currently is seeing an economic rebound,” said Ms Alexandropoulou.
“While other countries are still struggling to contain the pandemic, China will have a head start in the global recovery, but ultimately global economic recovery will depend on every country emerging from the crisis and recommitting to free trade,” she added.
Like China, Greece is maintaining its focus on international partnerships in trade. “Before the pandemic the Greek economy had entered strong growth rates. Our goal now is to resume that momentum once the world emerges from the crisis. The Chinese commitment to international trade and our shared success in managing the health crisis are bound to be important factors in the post pandemic global economy,” Ms Alexandropoulou explained.
“Our industry was seriously hit by COVID-19. We hope that the CIIE will give us a head-start. China is an important market for us,” stated Ms Elena Apostolidou, export manager for Ktima Pavlidis, a producer of premium wines in northern Greece, which has been exporting wines to China since 2015.
Constantinos Liakos, general manager of Hellenic Agora Trading Ltd, a Shenzhen-based company which imports and distributes Greek products such as wine, spirits and extra virgin olive oil in China, will appear at the CIIE for the third time.
“The CIIE can contribute to the world’s economy and trade by giving more opportunities for commercial cooperation,” he said.

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