Greek PM Alexis Tsipras arrives in China (photos-video)

Greek PM Alexis Tsipras landed in China, Friday accompanied by a delegation, including his wife Betty Batzana. The Greek PM, who will take part in the “Belt and Road” international Forum to start on Sunday, was greeted at the airport in a brief ceremony by Chinese officials. According to Greek government sources, Mr. Tsipras met with top executives from Chinese State Grid Company (SGCC), who are a strategic partner in Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator (ADMIE) and examined the prospects of expanding on a series of new investment plans the Chinese company has expressed interest in like renewable energy projects, networks and connecting the Greek islands. The same source say the two sides focused on the EuroAsia Interconnector project, the subsea energy cable that will connect Crete, Cyprus and Israel. The Greek PM also visited Beijing Foreign Language Univesrity where he opened the Hellenic Studies Centre. Students waving Greek and Chinese flags welcomed Mr. Tsipras with the school’s choir playing Mikis Theodorakis’s “Ena to Chelidoni”. During his speech at the University Mr. Tsipras underlined the countries were bound with ties of friendship and mutual appreciation, despite the long geographical distance that separated them. “The tow countries are crucibles of ancient cultures and at the same time were reinforcing their cooperation with a vision into the future”, Mr. Tsipras said.