China accuses US of trying to undermine its relations with Greece
Statement follows recent remarks by US ambassador urging Greece to sell Chinese-operated Port of Piraeus
US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle
ATHENS
China has accused the US of attempting to undermine its relations with Greece.
Responding to remarks by US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, who publicly urged Athens to consider ways to diminish Chinese influence, including selling the Chinese-operated Port of Piraeus, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Athens said in a statement on the US social media company X’s platform that “this constitutes malicious defamation of the normal Sino-Greek commercial cooperation and a serious interference in Greece's internal affairs.”
Emphasizing China’s “strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition,” the statement added: “These statements, permeated with a Cold War mentality and hegemonic logic, contravene the fundamental professional ethics of a diplomat and fully reveal the insidious intent of the United States to serve its own geopolitical interests by exploiting the Port of Piraeus and even Greece itself.”
Underscoring that Greek-Chinese relations neither target third parties nor are affected by third parties, it also hailed the Chinese investment in the port as a successful model of cooperation between the two countries.
“In the current period of rapid development for the Port of Piraeus, the United States, with selfish intentions, is inciting Greece to terminate its contractual obligations and sell the port—this practice is a typical example of imposing its own thinking on others and reveals a mentality that seeks to undermine stability,” it said.
In 2008, the Chinese state-owned company COSCO won a 35-year concession to operate Piers II and III of the port for €490 million.
In April 2016, COSCO acquired a 51% stake in the Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) for €280.5 million. This stake rose to 67% in 2021 after an additional €86 million investment.
Last week, Guilfoyle warned that the US wants China out of the port in an interview with private broadcaster ANT1.
“It is unfortunate, but I think there’s ways around it, that something could be worked out, whether you pursue a path of enhancing output in other areas or perhaps that Piraeus could be for sale,” she said.
