“The COSCO team knows that it is responsible for the people. In the difficult times, when Greece suffered a debt crisis and a refugee crisis, the company donated money and materials, provided assistance within its ability, and shared difficulties with the Greeks,” Qiyue noted.

China and Greece hope to make Piraeus port an important container transshipment port, a land-and-sea joint bridgehead, and an international logistics distribution centre, he added.

In 2016, COSCO Shipping Ports Limited acquired a majority stake in Piraeus Port Authority SA and officially became the operator of the entire port. The development of the port in recent years represents a synthesis of the cooperation between Greece and China within the “Belt and Road” framework.

Piraeus Port Authority is operated by China’s COSCO Shipping Ports Limited, which also operates Piraeus Container Terminal SA.