Πρέσβης της Κίνας: Η συνεργασία Κίνας και Ελλάδας στον ναυτιλιακό κλάδο γίνονται πιο στενές από ποτέ

Την Τετάρτη 25 Φεβρουαρίου 2025, στη Ναυτιλιακή Λέσχη Πειραιώς πραγματοποιήθηκε Γεύμα εργασίας με επίσημο καλεσμένο τον αξιότιμο Πρέσβη της Κίνας κύριο Fang Qiu.

Κατά την έναρξη της εκδήλωσης ο Πρόεδρος της Ναυτιλιακής Λέσχης Πειραιώς κύριος Γεώργιος Σπ. Αλεξανδράτος ευχαρίστησε τους επίσημους καλεσμένους και τα Μέλη της Λέσχης για την θερμή παρουσία και συμμετοχή τους.

Εμπνευστής του γεύματος εργασίας ο κύριος Γεώργιος Ξηραδάκης, μέλος του ΔΣ της ΝΛΠ και Πρόεδρος της Ένωσης Τραπεζικών & Χρηματοοικονομικών Στελεχών Ελληνικής Ναυτιλίας.

Επίσης είχαμε την χαρά να μοιραστούμε την παρουσία ανωτάτων εκπροσώπων θεσμικών φορέων όπως τον π. Πρόεδρο του Ναυτικού Επιμελητηρίου Ελλάδος Dr Γεώργιο Πατέρα, τον Πρόεδρο της Ένωσης Εφοπλιστών Ναυτιλίας Μικρών Αποστάσεων κύριο Χαράλαμπο Σημαντώνη, τον Πρόεδρο του Εμπορικού & Βιομηχανικού Επιμελητηρίου Πειραιώς κύριο Βασίλη Κορκίδη, τον Πρόεδρο του Προξενείου της Κοινοπολιτείας της Ντομίνικα κύριο Βαρδίκο, τον Πρόεδρο του International Propeller Club, Port of Piraeus κύριο Κωστή Φραγκούλη τον Γενικό Γραμματέα της Κοινοβουλευτικής Ομάδας της Ν.Δ. κύριο Σταύρο Καλαφάτη, την κα LI Jin, Αναπληρωτής Διευθύνων Σύμβουλος και Επικεφαλής Οικονομικών Υπηρεσιών (CFO) της ΟΛΠ ΑΕ, τον Πρόεδρο του IUMI (OCEAN HULL COMMITTEE) κύριο Ηλία Τσακίρη, τον Πρόεδρο  του ICC Διεθνούς Εμπορικού Επιμελητηρίου Ελλάδος κύριο Νικόλαο Βερνίκο τον Πρόεδρο της Έκθεσης των Ποσειδωνίων κ. Θεόδωρο Βώκο και τον καθηγητή Πανεπιστημίου κύριο Στράτο Παπαδημητρίου.

Στο κάλεσμα της αλληλοδικτύωσης των μελών και της στήριξης τους στην Ναυτιλιακή Λέσχη Πειραιώς, παρευρέθηκαν και οι εκλεκτοί Χορηγοί της εκδήλωσης κατ’ αλφαβητική σειρά:

1.    ΑNTIPOLLUTION

2.    THE CONSULATE AND THE SHIP REGISTER OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA

3.    D. KORONAKIS S.A.

4.    FRANMAN

5.    MARINE PLUS

6.    NAVIGATOR SHIPPING CONSULTANTS

7.    NEW VISION SHIPPING

8.    ΟΛΠ Α.Ε.

9.    SHANGHAI MARINE DIESEL ENGINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

10. TSAKOS GROUP

11. WEBMARINE

Η εκδήλωση έλαβε τέλος με την απονομή αναμνηστικών τιμητικών πλακετών στον επίτιμο  ομιλητή Κινέζο Πρέσβη H.E. Mr Fang Qiu.

Το Διοικητικό Συμβούλιο της Ναυτιλιακής Λέσχης Πειραιώς, σας ευχαριστεί πολύ για την συνεχή στήριξή σας.

Ακολουθούν η ομιλία του Πρέσβη :

Γεια σε όλους!

I’m delighted to come to the Piraeus Maritime Club again to meet and reunite with my friends from Greek shipping industry. First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Piraeus Maritime Club for the kind invitation and extend my cordial greetings and best wishes to all friends present today.

Since landing in Athens three months ago, I have fully felt the warmth and hospitality of the Greek people. Being in Greece gives me a natural sense of affinity, which stems from the fact that both China and Greece are ancient countries bordering the sea, and also from the similar philosophies and mindsets shared by our two peoples. The Aegean Sea gave birth to the great ancient Greek civilization and also shaped the Greek peoples’ inclusive, optimistic, rational and brave maritime spirit. Greece, despite accounting for just 0.14% of the world’s population, owns and operates one-fifth of the global shipping fleet—a true marvel of human achievement! No wonder some Greek friends told me about themselves: “ In our veins, it is seawater that flows rather than the blood.”  Archimedes, the Ancient Greek mathematician, once said: “Give me a fulcrum, and I can move the earth.” For Greece, the shipping industry is this fulcrum.

China and Greece have a traditional friendship. No matter how the international situation changes, the two sides have always adhered to the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and delivered substantial benefits for our two countries. In the field of shipping and shipbuilding, we have produced fruitful outcomes. In 2024, Greek shipowners ordered 217 new ships with a total deadweight tonnage of 18.12 million in China, an increase of 88% year-on-year, accounting for about 68% of all new ships orders of Greece. Meanwhile, over half of China’s energy, oil, and other bulk commodity imports from overseas are transported by the Greek fleets. It is worth mentioning that in last year, the Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping’s office in Shanghai was successfully opened for operation. The exchanges and cooperation between China and Greece in the shipping industry are becoming closer than ever.

It should be pointed out that although China has a trade surplus with Greece, in general, the trade imbalance between China and Greece stem from structural factors such as the differences between the two countries in terms of economic size, resource endowment and industrial structure. As we know, China’s consumer market is huge. China never intentionally pursues trade surplus. We hope to see more of Greece’s exceptional products enter the Chinese market and encourage more Chinese citizens to visit Greece. We also welcome Greek shipowners to carry more Chinese imports and exports and happy to see the sustainable development of China-Greece trade. To expand exports to China, actively explore superior products and increase their production capacity are the keys. Take Chile as an example. China has been importing cherries from Chile since 2017. Over the past seven years, Chile’s cherry production capacity has continued to expand, and cherry exports to China have grown at an average annual rate of 29%. In 2024 January,  Chile’s cherry exports to China generated $4.7 billion in revenue. I know that Greece also produces delicious cherries. I hope there would be more and more Greek Cherries delivered to the tables of Chinese people in the future.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Greece owns nearly 20% of the world’s shipping fleet. The three major indicators of China’ shipbuilding industry have led the world for 15 consecutive years and the shipbuilding in China has comparative advantages such as high cost performance, short delivery cycle, and advanced technology. At the same time, import and export demand of China is very huge and keep growing. In 2024, the figure reached 5.6 billion tons, accounting for about 30% of the world’s total import and export volume. China has maintained its position as the largest country in goods trade for 8 consecutive years and became the main trading partner of more than 150 countries and regions in the world. Therefore, China and Greece have strong complementary in the fields of shipping and shipbuilding, with broad prospects for cooperation. To further enhance the collaboration between China and Greece in shipping, I would like to share a few suggestions:

Firstly, China is committed to supporting Greece in enhancing its shipbuilding and repair capabilities, including extending financial assistance to Greek shipowners for constructing vessels in China. We also welcome Greek-manufactured ship components into the Chinese market, fostering mutual benefit.

Secondly, let us encourage active participation in shipping forums and exhibitions hosted in both countries. Additionally, we warmly invite Greek shipping firms specializing in finance, insurance, arbitration, and related services to establish a presence in China.

Thirdly, addressing the challenges of green transformation in the shipping industry is imperative. Together, we can advance technologies in energy conservation and emission reduction while promoting the use of green energy. By working as responsible partners in the global shipping community, we can lead the way toward a sustainable future.

Lastly, we need to strengthen cooperation in maritime education, promote seafarer training, jointly promote maritime culture, enhance the younger generation’s passion for maritime work, and assist the young people to find jobs and start businesses in the maritime field, ensure that China-Greece shipping have qualified successors.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The world is marked by intertwined changes and turmoil.  The international situation is evolving rapidly. Shipping people always believe in the power of unity, cooperation, openness and innovation. We never advocate the self-first and zero-sum game mentality. China is willing to work with the friends in the Greek shipping industry, champion globalization, and contribute to the stability of the global supply chain. Together, we can shape a sustainable future for shipping in both our countries and the world.

Thank you all.  Ευχαριστώ.