• Tweeter

  • republish

Xi Jinping, here at the Shanghai Imports Forum, wants to make Greece the basis of Chinese expansion in Europe. REUTERS / Aly Song

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives this Sunday, November 10 in Greece, the opportunity to write " a new chapter " in relations between the two countries, as the Greek Prime Minister recently expressed the wish.

Receiving Chinese President Xi Jinping in Athens, Kyriakos Mitsotakis indulges in a balancing act. The Greek Prime Minister, who is trying to get his country out of a decade of crisis, must convince Beijing to invest more in Greece without angering Washington and Brussels.

In fact, China wants to make Greece its base for expansion in Europe and a pillar of the New Silk Roads . The port of Piraeus could become " the logistics center " to bring Chinese products to the Old Continent, Xi said during the Shanghai Import Fair.

► Also to listen: When Chinese investments worry Europe

During his visit, the strong man from Beijing will visit the three terminals that are already under the control of the Chinese giant Cosco . The construction of a fourth terminal has been a thing of the past since the Greek authorities declared half of the Piraeus "archaeological site". The Chinese shipowner plans to invest 600 million euros to build four hotels and a new port to accommodate cruise ships.

But the honeymoon between Athens and Beijing has not escaped Brussels and Washington who fear the growing influence of China in Europe. During his visit to Greece last October, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo once again warned against agreements that especially benefit Beijing.