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Interview with Greek Ambassador to China George Iliopoulos

source：Silk Road Dialogue Committee|Release time：2021-07-09|Number of views：

"The Belt and Road Cooperation and Development is Surprising"-Interview with Greek Ambassador to China George Iliopoulos

More than two thousand years ago, the light of civilizations of ancient China and ancient Greece reflected each other on both ends of the Eurasian continent. Two ancient civilizations are now bursting with vitality in the new era. Standing at a new starting point in history, the Greek Ambassador to China George Iliopoulos came to China with the mission of promoting the further development of relations between the two countries. He recently accepted an exclusive interview with People's Daily Overseas Net, sharing his first experience with China and expressing his expectation for the further development of relations between the two countries.

Walk towards each other in difficult times

At the beginning of December 2019, George Iliopoulos officially started his career as an ambassador to China. However, the subsequent new crown pneumonia epidemic disrupted his plan. "Since the outbreak, I have been staying in Beijing, and many of my plans to walk around and take a look in China have not been implemented."Iliopoulos said.

However, the epidemic is like a prism, allowing Iliopulus to see the enormous power hidden in Chinese society "without leaving home". "What impressed me the most was the high sense of responsibility and discipline the Chinese showed in responding to the epidemic." He said, "In public, Chinese people insist on wearing masks, consciously abide by government requirements, and maintain social distancing. The successful fight against the epidemic played an important role."

At the same time, Iliopoulos has also personally felt the continued warming of the relationship between the two countries under the cooperation in epidemic prevention. He introduced that in the fight against the epidemic, Greece and China have worked closely to share information on the epidemic and exchange scientific data. China reached out to Greece in time and is the main provider of medical equipment in Greece.

In the eyes of Iliopulos, the two countries have met each other in difficult times, and there is a tacit understanding that they are both ancient civilizations. "Today, both Greece and China have successfully contained the epidemic. Through isolation and social distancing, they have jointly made a demonstration of response to the epidemic." Iliopoulos pointed out, "I think the success of the two national defense epidemics is related to ours. The view of history is related: the two countries have a long history and long civilization, which gives us a sense of collective survival. Both China and Greece cherish life and respect the elderly. When faced with threats, we can respond quickly and effectively ."

Become the first batch of tourists to resume work at the National Expo

"Now is the time to look forward. We have to think about how to fully return to daily life." When it comes to plans after the epidemic, Iliopoulos is full of expectations. He wanted to make up for the regret of being unable to travel during the epidemic prevention period, and walked around the vast land of China. "As a representative of Greece in China, visiting various provinces and cities and getting close to local customs, culture and history can deepen our understanding of this country."

In fact, Iliopoulos was the first group of tourists received after the National Museum and the Palace Museum resumed work. “As soon as the Forbidden City opens, I can’t wait to visit it.” In the National Museum, Iliopoulos and his wife were attracted by the exquisite pottery, and was pleasantly surprised to find that some of the exhibits were very similar to ancient Greek pottery. "The experience of observing the similarities between the two civilizations up close is fascinating," Iliopoulos said.

The "Wandering Museum" became popular in China, and Iliopoulos was also a participant. Although he prefers traditional forms such as on-site exhibitions, he still sees the huge space for cooperation between the two ancient civilizations in this emerging field: "In the future, online digital exhibitions will become more and more important. China has always been very advanced in this regard. Greece has also made considerable progress. The two countries have great potential for cooperation in related fields, such as the digitization of cultural relics and audio-visual production."

In addition to cultural and cultural cooperation, cultural exchanges between the two countries have a more ambitious vision. Iliopoulos said that next year is the "Greek-China Cultural Tourism Year", and the selection of this event in 2021 reflects the importance of cultural exchanges between the two ancient civilizations. "2021 is a year of special significance. It is the 200th anniversary of the victory of the Greek War of Independence and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. A series of activities and exhibitions are under planning, and we look forward to working closely with China."

There is huge potential for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries

Looking to the future, Iliopoulos also sees the huge potential of Greece-China economic and trade cooperation. In the first quarter of 2020, the port of Piraeus, the flagship project of the “Belt and Road” initiative, achieved a year-on-year increase of 3.9% in container throughput despite adversity, which left a deep impression on Iliopoulos. “During the crisis, the cooperation and development of the port of Piraeus is amazing.” He said that on the solid foundation of the two countries’ joint construction, the port of Piraeus has developed rapidly in recent years and has become the first in the Mediterranean. , Europe’s fourth largest port, "According to the overall plan, new investment projects are ready to be launched, including ship repair areas, cruise terminals, shopping centers, etc."

Based on the Port of Piraeus, Iliopoulos expects to further promote economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. He said that the economic relationship between the two countries should not be limited to individual industries, but the comprehensive deepening of cooperation in the primary, secondary and tertiary industries. "In addition to infrastructure and energy, Chinese investors also have a lot of investment opportunities in other fields in Greece."

Specific to the field of cooperation, Iliopulos made a long list-manufacturing, food processing, healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, tourism real estate, etc. "Greece has a friendly investment environment and financing tools to provide financial support for potential cooperation projects. Chinese companies can use their skills here."

At present, as the epidemic prevention situation improves, promoting economic recovery has become the common goal of China and Greece. Iliopoulos said: "The two sides need to formulate common principles and propose common response methods on the basis of universal use, fair competition, and reciprocity."