China–Greece relations

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Chinese-Greek relations
Map indicating locations of China and Greece

China
Greece

Hong-Kong and since 2005 in Shanghai. The Port of Piraeus (under Chinese management since 2009 and majority Chinese ownership since 2016) is important from a geostrategic view for China, as it helps China's transactions with the whole of Europe. Thousands of Chinese people are living in Greece in the Overseas Chinese context[1] and approximately 1000 Greek citizens are living in China.[2] Modern diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1972.[3] Today, Greece and China enjoy a very good relationship based on a solid foundation, which continues to be growing steadily.[4]

In the early years of the

One China policy, and Taiwanese officials in Athens do not enjoy diplomatic or consular status.[6]

The key period in the strengthening of bilateral relations came in the 1980s, when Greek Prime Minister

Cyprus and Aegean disputes, and in this context courted China under Deng Xiaoping. Greek shipowners also played an important role, by ordering many of their ships to be built in Chinese shipyards beginning in the 1980s, instead of British, German and Japanese shipyards (as had been the case since the late 19th century).[5]

Country comparison

China China Greece Greece
Coat of arms
Population 1,414,359,445 10,815,016
Area 9,596,961 km2 (3,705,407 sq mi) 131,990 km2 (50,944sq mi)
Population Density 145/km2 (375.5/sq mi) 85.3/km2 (221/sq mi)
Capital Beijing Athens
Largest City Shanghai – 24,281,400 (34,000,000 Metro) Athens – 3,074,160 (3,737,550 Metro)
Government Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic Parliamentary republic
Current leader CCP General Secretary & President Xi Jinping
Premier of the State Council Li Qiang[7] 		President Katerina Sakellaropoulou
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Official languages Standard Chinese Greek
Main religions 73.6%
Buddhism,
5.5% Salvationist sects, 3.6% Christianity,
1.5% Islam
 98% Christians, 1.3% Muslims, 0.7% Others
Ethnic groups 91.6%
Mongol, 0.44% Tibetan, 0.26% Bouyei,
0.15% Korean
and others 		93.76%
Pakistani,
0.12% Russians, 0.12% Georgians, 0.09% Indians
, 0.65% Others
GDP (nominal) $15.269 trillion ($10,872 per capita) US$303.065 billion ($27,073 per capita)

History of bilateral relations

Ancient

Further information:
Byzantine-Mongol alliance, and Europeans in Medieval China
Hellenistic features. Now in the Xinjiang Museum

Ancient Chinese people had contact with the

Greco-Bactrians". Strabo writes that Bactrian Greeks "extended their empire even as far as the Seres (Chinese) and the Phryni".[8] The War of the Heavenly Horses (104–101 BC) was a war between Dayuan and the Han dynasty
. The
Hellenistic
features.

Following the

Chen Dynasty in southern China, correctly placing these events within the reign period of Byzantine ruler Maurice.[10]
From Chinese records it is known that
astronomy that convinced Kublai Khan to offer him a position as the director of medical and astronomical boards.[12] Kublai Khan eventually honored Ai-sie with the noble title of Prince of Fu lin (Chinese: 拂菻王; Fú lǐn wáng).[12] In his biography within the History of Yuan his children are mentioned by their Chinese names, which bear similarities to the Christian names Elias (Ye-li-ah), Luke (Lu-ko), and Antony (An-tun), with a daughter named A-na-si-sz.[12]

Τhe Sino-Hellenic contacts since Hellenistic times has recently been reinforced by the interdisciplinary study of prestige gold provided which a new interpretive framework for understanding trans-cultural contact between Han China and the Hellenistic world. The contextual analysis of the gold artefacts with foreign features presented in the current paper shows that the quest for exotica along with the desire for “heavenly horses” among the ruling elites acted as the driving force that led to an unprecedented extent of imperial expansion of the Han court in Central Asia, as well as the establishment of a vast trading network during the first century BCE.[13] Today these ancient relations are unfolded and strengthened with the Sino-Hellenic Academic Project.[14]

Modern

Korean War

During the

UN
forces.

Andreas Papandreou and Deng Xiaoping

shipping.[5]

European Union era

China and Greece raised their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership in 2006.[15]: 161 

In 2014, 78 Chinese citizens were among those evacuated from Libya by the Greek navy frigate Salamis. China thanked Greece for its help.[16]

In 2017, Greece, under Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, prevented the European Union from issuing statements condemning Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and its human rights record, moves widely attributed as a response to Chinese investment in the Port of Piraeus.[17][18][19]

On the 12th of April, 2019, Greece officially joined China's 'Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries', becoming the 17th European Nation to join the initiative, making it 17+1.[20] This move has further developed relations between China and Greece. The hope is for an Athens-Budapest rail line, going through Belgrade and Skopje.[21]

In 2019, the Bank of China opened its first branch in Greece.[22]

On the 8th of July 2021, the Greek PM

Cyprus dispute.[23] On the 17th of July 2021, Mitsotakis had a phone conversation with Chinese leader, CCP general secretary Xi Jinping and he expressed his congratulations on the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party.[24]

China currently has 67% ownership in the Port of Piraeus through COSCO.[25][26]

The role of Greek shipowners

Although China and Greece were enemies in the early years of the Cold War, with their militaries directly confronting each other in the Korean War, many Greek shipowners greatly helped the Chinese Communist regime of Mao Zedong during these same years by breaking the trade embargo imposed on China by most Western countries (Greece among them) and secretly carrying cargoes to Chinese ports. During the Korean War, freight rates rocketed as demand for supplies reached enormous heights. Greek shipowners made their tonnage available to Mao's government, in a win-win situation, as Mao successfully broke the embargo and secured vital supplies while the shipowners enjoyed excellent profits.[27]

The most prominent example was that of

T2 Tankers) of his private fleet (then the largest privately owned fleet in the world) flying the Honduran, Panamanian and Liberian flags to transport cargoes to Chinese ports. In a similar operation coordinated with the Chinese Communist intelligence services, Onassis used his tankers to transport petroleum to China, in ships flying the Saudi flag.[27]

Cultural connections

The cultural relationship between China and Greece is based on the mutual respect that both countries are ancient civilizations. The cultural cooperation between the two countries is also based on cultural cooperation agreements and cultural exchange plans.[28]

In 1978, China and Greece signed the “China-Greece Cultural Exchange and Cooperation Agreement”, followed by the “China-Greece Science and Technology Exchange and Cooperation Agreement” in 1979, and the “China-Greece Tourism Cooperation Agreement” in 1988.[29]

Since China and Greece have signed an agreement on scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation in 1979, they both have successively convened 10 scientific and technological cooperation mixed committees.[30] The cooperation projects involved agriculture, energy, geosciences, oceanography, biology, medicine.[29] In the fields of sociology, materials science and basic research, some cooperative projects have achieved research results and economic and social benefits. The two countries also have exchanges in protection of cultural relics, museum construction, and press groups.[29]

In 2005, the "Memorandum of Understanding on China-Greece Education Cooperation" was signed.[29]

In 2012, on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and Greece many commemoratory events were planned in both countries, such as a joint philatelic publication, circulated by the Greek and Chinese postal services. A variety of events were also organized including a Greek cinema week and an exhibition on the lives and works of Socrates and Lao Tzu.[31]

On 7 July 2021, Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed for the "Greece-China Year of Culture & Tourism" to begin in September 2021 and extend to 2022 since it's a good opportunity to further strengthen relations and increase tourist flows between the two countries.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held meetings in Athens with leading Greek officials on Wednesday about deepening the two countries’ economic ties.[35] He specifically met with the Greek Foreign MinisterNikos Dendias and with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.[36][37] Wang, in his visit to Athens, noted that: "China and Greece are not only partners that benefit each other for win-win outcomes but also in particular, friends that share the same aspirations. China-Greece cooperation has been always in the front rank of China-Europe relations, setting an example for exchanges between and mutual learning from countries of different cultural backgrounds and social systems."[36]

Bilateral visits

Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas during the attendance of a dinner hosted by the Chinese Ambassador to Greece Linquan Luo at his residence in January 2011
An exposition with Greek thematic in Shanghai

Bilateral treaties

Embassy of Greece in China
  • China-Greece Cultural Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (1978)
  • China-Greece Science and Technology Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (1979)
  • China-Greece Tourism Cooperation Agreement (1988)
  • Agreement on cooperation between police forces (Beijing, February 15, 1995).
  • Cooperation Agreement on combating terrorism and drugs (Beijing, February 15, 1995).
  • Maritime agreement (October 16, 1995).
  • Memorandum of cooperation on management of marine resources and mutual scientific and technical cooperation (Athens, October 16, 1995).
  • Protocol on scientific and technological cooperation (Beijing, November 14, 1995).
  • Programme of cultural exchanges for the period 1999 2002 (Beijing, September 9, 1999). Extended for a further three years in March 2003.
  • Protocol on consultations between the foreign ministries of Greece and China (Beijing, February 29, 2000).
  • Protocol of the 8th session of the joint committee on scientific and technological cooperation (Beijing, October 16, 2000).
  • Agreement on the Cooperation of Forestry between the State Forestry Administration of the PRC and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Hellenic Republic (2002).
  • Memorandum of Understanding on China-Greece Education Cooperation (2005)

Investment

In October 2009

Cosco leased for 30 years part of the Port of Piraeus, the cargo level two years later was three times higher than before.[39]

In 2010 a $123 million contract between

Hellenic Telecommunications Organization.[38]

In March 2015 Deputy Greek Prime Minister Yannis Dragasakis and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Kotzias paid an official visit to China on 25 March 2015. Within this context, Minister Kotzias met with the Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China, Wang Yi.[40]

See also

References

Citations

  1. Fortune Magazine
    , July 22, 2019
  2. ^ "Cultural Relations and Greek Community – CHINA". www.mfa.gr. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  3. ^ "48 Years of Friendship and Cooperation". gr.china-embassy.org. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  4. ^ Daily Report: China. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 1995. p. 23. Papoulias said that Greece and China enjoy a very good relationship based on a solid foundation, and such relations are now growing steadily.
  5. ^ a b c D. Chourchoulis, Greece and the People's Republic of China in the Cold War, 1972 – 1989 in Europe and China in the Cold War: Exchanges Beyond the Bloc Logic and the Sino-Soviet Split, Brill, 2019, Edited by Janick Marina Schaufelbuehl, Marco Wyss and Valeria Zanier
  6. ^ Ταϊβάν/Κινεζική Ταϊπέι, Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  7. ^ Natalie Liu (2022-10-07). "View China's Xi as Party Leader, Not President, Scholars Say". Voice of America. Retrieved 2022-10-07. But Clarke and other scholars make the point that Xi's real power lies not in his post as president but in his position as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.
  8. ^ Strabo XI.XI.I
  9. ^ Bretschneider, E. (2000), Medieval Researches from Eastern Asiatic Sources: Fragments Towards the Knowledge of the Geography and History of Central and Western Asia from the 13th to the 17th Century, Vol. 1, Abingdon: Routledge, reprint of 1888 edition, pp 143–144.
  10. ^ Yule (1915), pp 29-31.
  11. ISBN 9783829820479
    .
  12. ^ a b c Bretschneider, E. (2000), Medieval Researches from Eastern Asiatic Sources: Fragments Towards the Knowledge of the Geography and History of Central and Western Asia from the 13th to the 17th Century, Vol. 1, Abingdon: Routledge, reprint of 1888 edition, p. 144.
  13. doi:10.5281/ZENODO.4016080
    .
  14. ^ "Sino-Hellenic Academic Project".
  15. OCLC 1353290533
    .
  16. ^ "Chinese workers evacuated from Libya". BBC News. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  17. ^ Benner, Thorsten (September 15, 2017). "An Era of Authoritarian Influence?". Foreign Affairs.
  18. ^ Horowitz, Jason; Alderman, Liz (August 26, 2017). "Chastised by E.U., a Resentful Greece Embraces China's Cash and Interests". The New York Times. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  19. ^ Cumming-Bruce, Nick; Sengupta, Somini (June 19, 2017). "In Greece, China Finds an Ally Against Human Rights Criticism". The New York Times.
  20. ^ "Greece joins China's 16+1 initiative | Kathimerini". www.ekathimerini.com. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  21. ^ "Greece eyes China-led group with Central, Eastern European nations". South China Morning Post. 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  22. ^ "Bank of China opens first branch in Greece". www.amna.gr. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  23. ^ "Mitsotakis and Xi reaffirm strong Greek-Sino relations". Kathimerini. 2021-09-08. Archived from the original on 2021-07-08.
  24. ^ "Xi Jinping Speaks with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the Phone". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. 2021-09-17. Archived from the original on 2021-07-10.
  25. ^ Bellos, Ilias. "Cosco's Piraeus Port stake rises to 67%". www.ekathimerini.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  26. ^ "China's Cosco Tightens Grip on Piraeus Port by Raising Stake to 67%". GreekReporter.com. 2021-08-22. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  27. ^ a b Thomas W. Lippman, Crude Oil, Crude Money: Aristotle Onassis, Saudi Arabia, and the CIA, p.p. 52-54,
  28. ^ "Greece's Bilateral Relations". www.mfa.gr. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  29. ^ a b c d "中华人民共和国外交部". www.mfa.gov.cn. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  30. ^ "中华人民共和国外交部". www.mfa.gov.cn. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  31. ^ "40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Greece and China – Top Story". www.mfa.gr. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  32. ^ Agency, Athens News. "Mitsotakis Speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping". The National Herald. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  33. ^ "Confucius and Socrates Statues Mark Greece-China Year of Culture". GreekReporter.com. 2021-09-17. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17.
  34. ^ a b Duncan, Howitt-Marshall (2021-09-29). "Parallel space: Meet the Terracotta Warriors in Greece". Kathimerini. Archived from the original on 2021-09-30.
  35. ^ "Deepening Greek-Chinese ties | eKathimerini.com". Kathimerini. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28.
  36. ^
    Foreign Ministry of the People's Republic of China. Archived
    from the original on 2021-10-28.
  37. ^ a b "Dendias meets Chinese counterpart in Athens". Kathimerini. Archived from the original on 2021-10-27.
  38. ^
    Fortune magazine
    . June 18, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  39. ^ Alderman, Liz (October 10, 2012). "Chinese Company Sets New Rhythm in Port of Piraeus". The New York Times.
  40. ^ "Yannis Dragasakis and Nikos Kotzias to pay official visit to China on 25 March 2015 – China and Greece". chinaandgreece.com. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2018.

Sources

  • Beata Kitsikis - Μπεάτα Κιτσίκη - Γνώρισα τους Κόκκινους Φρουρούς. Athens, Kedros, 1982. (« I have known the Red Guards »)
  • Beata Kitsikis - Μπεάτα Κιτσίκη - Αποστολή 1963-1964. Απ'όσα είδαμε στην Κίνα. Athens, Fexis, 1964. (« 1963-1964. Mission to China »)
  • Beata Kitsikis - Μπεάτα Κιτσίκη - Ματιές στην Κίνα. Athens, P. Bolaris Press, 1957. (« China Glimpses »)
  • Dimitri Kitsikis- Δημήτρης Κιτσίκης - Συγκριτική Ιστορία Ελλάδος-Κίνας. Από την αρχαιότητα μέχρι σήμερα. Athens, Herodotos, 2007. ("A Comparative History of Greece and China. From Antiquity to the Present Day")

External links

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