Cosco

Piraeus is expected to be among the top four ports in Europe for 2019 in terms of container traffic, and the top in the Mediterranean, as Cosco-owned Piraeus Port Authority saw the unloading of the 5 millionth container to pass through the port this year, aptly from a Cosco ship.

The Hellenic Red Cross and Chinese shipping giant Cosco on Monday announced the launch of the "Children Included" program to support 2,180 children from poor families at risk of social exclusion.

The announcement was made just days after Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Greece.

Substantial opportunities and significant prospects are opening up for Greece with the emblematic upgrade of its strategic relationship with China which peaked with the visit of Chinese President Xi Jingpin to Athens.

Chinese shipping giant Cosco is about to start a dialogue with the Greek government on the terms and conditions that will allow for its investment master plan for Piraeus port to expand from the currently approved 600 million to its full amount of 900 million euros with the construction of a new, fourth container terminal, according to recent talks between the Greek and Chinese state leaders.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Greece, expressing hope that the official visit will lead to wider cooperation between the two countries.

"My recent visit to Shanghai and yours today is inaugurating a new era in our relations, he told Xi. "I hope this visit is a milestone in the further deepening of our bilateral relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Greece on an official visit meant to deepen economic ties between the two countries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Athens on a two-day official visit.

Xi was met at the Athens Airport by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.

On Monday, Xi is due to meet President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, who visited China last May, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Xi and Mitsotakis also met a few days ago, at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

In an exclusive article for Kathimerini on the occasion of his official visit to Athens, which started Sunday and will conclude on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping has underlined the need to boost cooperation between Athens and Beijing on all levels.

The European Investment Bank has approved a 100-million-euro loan to Cosco to finance part of the Chinese company's investment in the port of Piraeus.

The funds will be used for the first stage of the 612-million-euro master plan, providing for the expansion of the cruise terminal, a new passenger terminal, a car park and a new logistics area.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spent four days in Shanghai this week promoting Greece's exit from the crisis and attracting foreign investments. He met with China's political leadership and representatives of important Chinese firms and discussed cooperation between the two nations, which is expected to deepen further with the Chinese president's visit to Athens next week.