Greek new gov't welcomes Chinese investment
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E-mail Xinhua, February 27, 2015
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SYRIZA party leader Alexis Tsipras poses for photographers after taking an oath at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece, Jan. 26, 2015. Tsipras was sworn in as Greece's new Prime Minister to head a coalition government after winning the national elections on Jan 25, 2015. [Xinhua/Marios Lolos] |
In another positive sign that Greece's new government welcomes foreign investment, its Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is scheduled to pay a visit to Chinese-run Piraeus Contanier Terminal (PCT) in Piraeus Port on Friday, exactly one month after the new cabinet was sworn in and three days after the reform list of the government was approved by the Eurogroup.
Coming to power with a vow to roll back many of the austerity measures and reforms, including privatizations, that Greece has undertaken according to bailout deals, the new coalition government led by the Radical Left Syriza gradually realized that privatization can help develop the economy and generate revenue for the new government.
Privatization plays a big role in the long list of reform presented to the Eurogroup on Monday. In the document signed by Varoufakis, the government "commit not to roll back privatizations that have been completed. Where the tender process has been launched the government will respect the process, according to the law."
Meanwhile, the government will "review privatizations that have not yet been launched, with a view to improving the terms so as to maximise the state's long term benefits, generate revenues, enhance competition in the local economies, promote national economic recovery, and stimulate long term growth prospects."
The new stand represents a U-turn to the initial remarks made by some ministers to halt the planned sale of a 67 percent stake in the Piraeus Port Authority, which runs Pier I of Piraeus port, Greece's biggest port.
Chinese shipping giant COSCO, which has been running Pier II and Pier III of the port through its subsidiary PCT since 2008, was among the forerunners to bid the stake.
Commercial traffic through the port has increased eight-fold since COSCO's takeover, attracting international giants such as ZTE and Hewlett-Packard to use the cargo terminals as logistics centers for their products. The project of the Piraeus port has become a paradigm of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Greece.
The change of attitude towards privatization was led by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras himself. Attending a reception hosted by the 18th escort fleet of the Chinese navy at Piraeus port on Feb. 19, Tsipras said his government will support COSCO's investment at Piraeus port, as well as Chinese investments in other sectors across Greece.
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