President to visit Greece, Brazil
▶ Beijing-Athens ties could be example for Europe
Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to pay a state visit to Greece and will also visit Brazil for the annual BRICS summit, with Chinese experts saying that the fast-developing relationship between Beijing and Athens could be an example to the rest of Europe that shows the actual benefits of friendly ties with China and joining the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Since the APEC 2019 in Chile has been canceled, another major international event BRICS summit could attract more attention, analysts noted.
While protectionism and unilateralism among developed Western countries has added uncertainty to the world economy, cooperation among emerging-market economies will be a crucial stabilizer, they said. Xi will visit Greece at the invitation of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and then at the invitation of Brazilian President Jair Messias
Bolsonaro, he will attend the 11th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, from November 10 to 15, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Hua Chunying said in Beijing on Thursday.
The China-Europe relationship is comprehensively developing with both traditional European powers like France or EU members with smaller economies like Greece which harbor an ambition to reform and develop.
Greece is a guest of honor at the ongoing 2019 China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai where Greek exporters are seeking more opportunities to try and build more connections with Chinese partners.
Athanasios Gogas, CEO of Greek caviar maker Mediterranean Escargots, told the Global Times that “In Greece we have the feeling that China is far away but also very close to Greece. There’s something very familiar between China and Greece.
“Greece has already signed the
BRI cooperation MOU [memorandum of understanding] with China in 2018 and actively cooperates with China based on the rule set by the EU,” Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University’s Institute of International Relations in Beijing, told the Global Times.
“If Greece can benefit from it, the rest of Europe or other EU members can also copy this kind of success by embracing the BRI and cooperating with China.”
Europe should ignore Washington’s frequently demonization of BRI and Chinese investment activities.
Xi is scheduled to visit Brazil for the BRICS summit after Greece.
“Currently due to protectionism and unilateralism among some Western developed economies, the recovery of the world economy is still facing serious challenges and uncertainty, so cooperation between emerging market economies like BRICS countries is crucial, since they are the stabilizer of the world economy at this moment,” said Li.