Athens and Beijing agree closer cooperation in trade and tourism
Athens and Beijing have signed an agreement to cooperate in a number of areas, with a view to increasing trade between the two cities but also the number of Chinese tourists visiting the Greek capital.
The memorandum of understanding was signed between the two cities’ mayors, Giorgos Kaminis and Wang Anshun, in China on Friday. It foresees closer cooperation in trade, tourism and culture.
Kaminis led a delegation of Greek businessmen who accompanied him to Beijing. There were discussions with Chinese companies about importing Greek olive oil and wine among other things.
The Athens Mayor also heralded plans for a direct flight connection between Athens and Beijing and the creation of postgraduate courses at Greek universities for Chinese students.
According to China Daily, 2.5 million Chinese tourists visit Europe every year but only about 50,000 travel to Greece each year.
“For us, this percentage is still too small, and we expect to see more Chinese tourists in Athens and in Greece as a whole,» Kaminis told the newspaper.
