Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-06-30

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Growth, jobs, investments discussed between Government VP and German counterpart

[02] Chinese ambassador to Greece: 'Greece has always been a reliable partner for China'

[03] PM Tsipras to visit China on July 1-6: Full schedule

[01] Growth, jobs, investments discussed between Government VP and German counterpart

In a Twitter post after the talks, Dragasakis said the meeting was "productive".

According to sources, the vice-president noted the steps taken to restore growth, seek investments and create jobs, with the largest part of the conversation focusing on the expectations from the implementation of the new law on growth and the preparation of a legal framework to simplify licensing procedures and the introduction of a stable tax environment for large businesses for 12 years.

[02] Chinese ambassador to Greece: 'Greece has always been a reliable partner for China'

"The project is a fine example of China-Greece cooperation, the significance of which has gone beyond economic cooperation and bilateral scope and has assumed great importance for promoting regional peace and development as well," the ambassador said.

In fact, according to information attained by Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the Chinese envoy expressed his surprise for the latest handlings of the OLP case by COSCO.

At the invitation of Premier Li Keqiang, Tsipras is to visit China from July 2 to July 6. Asked about the visit, Zou said "he is full of expectations, confidence and passion" for the upcoming event. During the interview with today, Zou said that the visit will be an important one against "a profound background" and that the two sides "should seize this important opportunity to push bilateral relations further ahead".

During the visit, the two sides will release a joint statement to reflect the outcomes of the visit. They will also hold the Second China-Greece Maritime Cooperation Forum and will sign a series of cooperation agreements on investment, finance, shipping, science and technology, culture, and tourism to strengthen cooperation between the countries.

"Greece is becoming an important knot on the 'Belt and Road' and the COSCO-Piraeus project has made Greece a key link between the Maritime Silk Road and the Silk Road on land," the ambassador said.

He also pointed to Tsipras' "important speech" on China's policy made at the beginning of 2015 on a Chinese navy vessel visiting Greece, which was "well received" by the Chinese side. "It is fair to say that Greece has all along been China's reliable partner within the EU," he said.

Zou pointed out that there are four important backgrounds for the visit: First, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Greece. Second, COSCO is going to expand a mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation with Greece at the Port of Piraeus. Third, the regional landscape where Greece is located is undergoing profound changes and adjustments. Fourth, the "Belt and Road" is extending steadily to Europe.

He said Greece is at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa and its neighboring region has been hit by factors of instability such as war, refugees and terrorism. "This has enhanced the role of Greece as the anchor of stability and development in the East Mediterranean," he explained, adding that Middle East countries also wish that Greece can continue to act as a bridge between them and the EU. "Greece itself has been very active in its diplomacy and the debt crisis has not undermined its important role in foreign affairs," he noted.

China is ready to make joint efforts with Greece in several areas, the ambassador said: First, to continue to render mutual support to each other on issues of core interest; second, to use maritime cooperation as a dragonhead to lead to practical cooperation in various areas; third, to promote dialogues between different civilizations; and fourth, to enhance coordination and cooperation in the East Mediterranean and the Middle East. "The four areas reflect the features of the comprehensive and strategic partnership between the two countries," Zou said.

Greece is an ideal partner for China to carry out international maritime cooperation, for Greece is not only the birth place of European maritime civilization, but also wields important influence in international shipping, he said. The capacity of its commercial fleets accounts for nearly 20% of the world total. Over half of China's imported crude oil is transported by Greek commercial fleet. "More importantly, Greece is very experienced and open in marine-related sectors, making China-Greece maritime cooperation at the forefront of China-Europe cooperation."

He also hailed Greece's ability to facilitate dialog between different religions and cultures.

[03] PM Tsipras to visit China on July 1-6: Full schedule

His schedule is as follows:

Departure from Athens to Beijing on July 1 and arrival on July 2.

July 2 (Saturday)

-09:00 Arrival in Beijing

-18:30 Interview of Tsipras on public TV channel CCTV

-20:00 Tsipras will hold a dinner for the members of the business and media delegation to China

July 3 (Sunday)

-10:30 Meeting with the President of Wanda Group

-11:45 Visit to HUAWEI's technological park and meeting with the company's CEO

-14:30 Visit to the Great Wall of China

July 4 (Monday)

-10:15 Meeting with Chinese journalists

-15:40 Meeting with the Chairman of the NPC Zhang Dejiang

-16:30 Official welcoming ceremony

-16:45 Private meeting between Tsipras and Chinese premier Li Keqiang

-17:15 Wider bilateral meeting of the two delegations

-17:45 Signing of bilateral agreements

-18:00 Business Forum

July 5 (Tuesday)

-10:30 Visit to Beijing's Forbidden City

-15:45 Wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to the People's Heroes, in Tiananmen Square

-16:00 Meeting with the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping

-18:00 Departure from Beijing to Shanghai

July 6 (Wednesday)

-08:45 Meeting with the President of the Chinese online retail giant Alibaba

-09:30 Meeting with the President of COSCO

-10:30 Meeting at ZTE's center of research and development and meeting with the company's president

-11:45 Meeting with the mayor of Shanghai, Yang Xiong

-13:45 Visit to the Museum of Shanghai

-15:00 Meeting with the President of the Chinese investment company Fosun and other Chinese businessmen

-17:00 Departure from Shanghai to Athens

Note: All times are local, the time difference between Greece and China is five hours.

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