Aerial photo taken on Feb. 15, 2019 shows the COSCO Shipping Pisces, one of the world's largest container ships with a capacity of 20,000 TEU, docking at the Piraeus port in Greece. (Xinhua/Wu Lu)

A spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Greece said on Tuesday that the success of China-Greece cooperation at Piraeus Port should inject confidence and inspiration among other cooperation partners of China in the region, as some European media outlets speculated over China's influence in local marine transport sector such as in Germany. 

When asked about recent media hype that "China is in charge" at the Piraeus Port and comparing it with the Chinese COSCO Group's investment in Germany's Hamburg port, the spokesperson said the success of China-Greece cooperation at Piraeus Port was clear for all to see.

According to the Embassy, in spite of the challenges brought about by the Ukraine crisis and the energy crunch, the Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) recorded revenue of 145.8 million euros ($144.3 million) during the first nine months of 2022, up 28 percent year-on-year. Its gross profit reached 83.146 million euros, surging 49 percent year-on-year. 

"It showed that whether a transnational project could be successful and benefit the local people depends not only on the professional management ability of investors, but more on the shared belief of both participators in working together for development," said the spokesperson. 

In light of the successful Piraeus Port cooperation, other European partners should have more confidence and be inspired by the partnership, the spokesperson noted.

The spokesperson said that China will stand firmly in pursuing global cooperation projects, and will always conduct foreign investment and cooperation based on mutual benefit.

China's COSCO Shipping Group completed the acquisition of PPA's 67 percent stake in October 2021 with 368.5 million euros. The Piraeus Port is an important ferry port in Europe, and also an important home port for cruise liners, a transshipment port for auto-carrying vessels and a maintenance center in the Mediterranean, with annual throughput of 7.2 million standard containers, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Since COSCO Shipping started operations in the port, over 3,000 direct jobs, 10,000 indirect jobs and 1.4 billion euros of income have been added to the local economy. 

Yu Zenggang, chairman of the PPA, said that the development of Piraeus Port had shown the foresight of COSCO Shipping's development strategy, which has effectively promoted the development of the local economy while improving the business performance and development resilience of the company itself, according to COSCO's website. 

Though there are voices in Europe issuing so-called "warnings" against cooperation with China, especially as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is going to pay a visit to China, experts noted that such voices won't reverse the trend of cooperation between China and Germany, as well as between China and Europe.

The fundamentals of economic cooperation between China and Germany remain solid, and the significance of the Chinese market to German businesses is undisputable, Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Though bilateral cooperation has encountered headwinds over recent years due to the pandemic and other factors, Scholz's upcoming visit is a positive signal in restoring mutual trust between the two countries, Cui said.

Global Times