EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis): Helleniscope has analyzed numerous times the role of Greek Shipowners in determining the geopolitical course of the country. While most political powers in Greece agree that the country stay aligned with the West, an equal or bigger number promote that the country’s doors stay open for business to all powers; Greece is a “corner property” on earth, and if it is to prosper it has to “sell” its location to the highest bidder or to allow all “a slice of the pie”. And so the Port of Piraeus was bought by China, Thessaloniki was sold to a German-Russian consortium, Alexandroupolis to the U.S.A., and now Volos to Ivan Savvidis, a Greek-Russian businessman who also has a stake at Thessaloniki. Smaller ports are being negotiated also…
Naturally, it is the Greek shipowners who dictate much of these policies, especially when it comes to China and Russia. Why? Because of their financial power and their control of much of the media… Here is their “frame of mind”: If you have a fleet of many hundreds of tankers how can you stay in business as a shipowner if you do not do business with Russia? The same is true for China, the country that produces the most products on Earth. Who is going to carry these products to their destinations? The 5,500 ships owned by Greek shipowners are among the primary carriers.
And let’s not forget the American liquified natural gas, that is now sold to Europe for four times as much as the Russian. Greek shipowners started building very early on a huge fleet that now numbers over 350 LNG ships – very expensive to build. Without these Greek ships, American LNG would not be able to be sold around the globe.
I am sure you get the picture: It is the story of peaceful Hellenic cosmopolitanism, going on in its Fourth millennium!! Yes, my friends, Greeks started traveling with their ships around the Mediterranean and gradually around Europe and beyond well before 1,000 BC, and throughout these millennia they established peaceful trade connections with all the people they met – never turning to barbarian exploitation as the Europeans did after them. This is a lesson to keep in mind as we move to a multipolar world and we will need “models” of peaceful coexistence…
BELOW IS THE REPORT FROM A GREECE – CHINA CONFERENCE IN PIRAEUS LAST WEEK…
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Wind in the Sails: A “sea” of opportunities for the cooperation between Greece and China in shipping
Over the past five decades, Greece and China have developed strategic partnerships, reaping mutual benefits, mainly in the fields of communications, financial services, energy, maritime transport, shipbuilding and port operations.
Today, China is the engine of global shipping, as it is responsible for 50% of the trade in bulk carriers, while at the same time it is the largest importer of oil in the world. It has also developed the “The Belt and Road Initiative” program, which connects China by land and sea with the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. This program also includes the port of Piraeus, which is the maritime trade gateway between China and Europe.
A very large part of China’s trade is carried out by Greek-owned merchant ships, since the fleet of Greek interests constitutes 21% of the world’s tonnage in terms of dwt. It is noted that one in four tankers as well as 18% of bulk carriers are Greek.
At the same time, Greek shipowners have recently built around 1,300 ships in Chinese shipyards.
In the framework of the close cooperation between the two countries in the shipping sector, the “Naftemporiki” Media Group, with the oldest economic and business newspaper in Greece, which counts almost a century of uninterrupted circulation, the website naftemporiki.gr which remains among the top choices of online news, and the new economic content TV channel Naftemporiki TV, joins forces with China Global Television Network/CGTN, China’s leading English-speaking international media, to co-organize a conference with key pillars of discussion “shipping and transport – ports.”
China’s great influence on the global economy, and of course on shipping, became widely known from 2003 onwards. It is the time when the dry cargo market was breaking one record after another, driven by Chinese demand.
In May 2008, just before the global financial crisis, which also crashed shipping markets, the BDI index reached historic highs due to very high demand from China. In the years to come, the large Asian economy largely affected shipping markets.
At the same time, the largest Chinese shipping group, Cosco, won an international tender in 2009 to manage the Container Terminal of the port of Piraeus. A port that is characterized by the Chinese authorities as the “Dragon’s Head” for Europe-China trade relations and is soon climbing to the top five largest ports in Europe.
A few years later, in 2016, Cosco emerged as the highest bidder in the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund’s (HRADF) international tender for the majority package of shares in the Piraeus Port Authority and took over the reins of the country’s largest port.
The conference and the speakers
The conference entitled “Wind in the Sails: New Opportunities for Europe and China” will be held on September 28, from 11.30 to 15.10, at Divani Apollon Palace, offering participants the chance to exchange views and hold meetings with leading representatives of the two countries.
The speakers will be high-ranking executives of shipping companies, shipowners, financial analysts and senior banking executives with long-term experience in their field, as well as representatives of agencies – organizations and the state. The discussion will be hybrid (in-person participation and online).
The official languages of the conference will be Greek and Chinese, with simultaneous interpretation in English.
The conference will be videotaped and broadcast by the financial-business channel Naftemporiki TV and CGTN and will be posted on their YouTube Channels. Related posts will be made on social media and will be covered by the journalists of “Naftemporiki” and naftemporiki.gr.
On the day of the conference, a special bulletin entitled “Focus on Shipping and Environment” will be distributed together with the printed edition of “Naftemporiki”.
The war in Ukraine ws provoked to make Russia an enemy of Europe and they though the world !
In making Russia enemy of Europe , they have put up a Iron Economic Curtain to protect their corposrtat monopplies bussiness interests! The have shut off affordable oil and gas for Europe by economic sanctioans , eenbargoes and blowing up the Oil and gas lines of Europe!
They even instituted Price Caps on Russian Oil desinged to directly suppress the shipment of Russian oil by Greece , but to my knowledge the Greek Shipholders are shipping oil from their biggest customer which would have devasted their businesses !
The EU wishes to deatroy the Shipping businewss of Greece , and even allowed Mistotakis and U.S pirates illegally pirate Iraniian Oil freighter in violation of Illegal U.S sanctions policies on the high seas fo Greek Waters ! the conseqences of their actions ..had Iran pirate Greek shipping carryin oil ..and held their captive untiel a Greek Court ruled the illegality of Mistotakis and U.S actions !
Greece turning into chop meat.
Piraeus is not Hamburg
In Piraeus, majority shares in the port were sold to Cosco: its initial 51% was later increased to 67%. The Chinese shipping company can therefore decide the future of the port. Cosco controls all the piers, and all the terminals. “In the way it was carried out, the sale of the port of Piraeus to Cosco was a tragic mistake,” says Chlomoudis — because, unlike Hamburg, Piraeus is now directly dependent on a third country, namely China.
The key port of Alexandroupolis in northern Greece is also about to be privatized. Here, the United States is set to buy in: The port is already a major transshipment point for consignments of American arms. Chlomoudis is very critical of these privatizations, which mean that essential infrastructure of considerable geostrategic importance to the European Union ends up in the hands of third countries.
https://www.dw.com/en/greece-in-the-port-of-piraeus-china-is-the-boss/a-63581221
Let’s not forget that in Greece major constant, for the last 200 years since the Revolution, is bribery of the politicians. They all – of all political parties, got a “generous donation”… Despite this the country’s interests are being served with a multifaceted foreign policy that balances the interests of the superpowers which need to control a part of the country for geopolitical reasons.
I guess you heard: Israel at war. Today.
Not good for Greece or any of us.
We have a new war front started today.
No Jane …it is Jewish Zionist empire of lies of America , Ukraine , Israel, and the now Israeli trained and armed allies of Israel …Greece and Cyprus who are at war with not only Russia , but Syrai , Iran , Lebanon, Iraq, libya, Yemen, Afganistan abd gyess who else now Turkey!
Have no fear , another 3000 civilians again wiill be murdered , like they did a few years back to their “Open Air Prison ” call ed the Gaza meat grinder!
Keep in mind Zionist Bob Menendez ..the historic Chairman of the foreign Relations Committee and Self proclaimed Zionist Joe Biden are the perpetrators of all these wars in the MiddlE East and Europe for the “Greater interests” of the Notorious Jewish Crime Syndiate famously known as Murderers Inc led by Bugsy Seagal and Meyer lansky ..now led by Anthony Blinken and Victoria Nuland.1
It is Menendez who appropriated 3.5 billon dollars to Israel to develop their Nuclear Arsenal and develope their ability to threaten and impose wars on its neighbors, and it was Menendez who appropriated billoin of more U.S money to resupply Israel with Ammunition to kill more ” Civilians in the last war in Gaza! Today Ben Cardin has replaced Menendez as chairman fo the Foreign Relation Committee to maintain Jewish Zionist Israel control over the foreign Relation committee! Democrat Cardin…is a Jewish Zionist that has legislated illegal Anti -boycot laws that prevent Ameridan and Eruopean companies and organziation from boycotting Israeli products and goods, like they do to Russia, because of their Human rights record and crimes against Palistinian Christian and Muslims!
Net Net! U.S has declared war with Israel on the world!
Breaking News …..
Syria intercepts Israeli missiles targeting Damascus: State media
US shot down NATO ally’s drone – Pentagon
A Turkish strike UAV reportedly endangered American troops in northern Syria
Hal Turner late day statement
Hal Turner Remark: Folks, this is going downhill so fast, it is hard to verbally quantify. There is SO MUCH going on behind the scenes, politically and militarily, and ALL OF IT is bad and getting much worse. All sides in this are intractable. No one is giving an inch. The moves being made behind the scenes, and the moves being SPOKEN ABOUT in the corridors of power in Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Russia, and the United States, are unfathomable. Horrifying. This is all going so fast, it’s like an out of control train careening toward destruction of everything. The short and sweet of it: They are now talking about possible Tactical nuclear strikes to vaporize the entire Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and are also talking about Strategic nuclear attacks upon Tehran, Iran, and Damascus, Syria. These are ACTUAL discussions taking place – in the context of what is to be done if Israel finds itself being over-run and losing.)
According to UN. high commission on Human rights and the most approved UN resolution double any other resolutions on any other country in the world , Pentagon Papers, and U.S Presbyterian Church ete ete. .. Israel with the assistance of the completely Zionist government of Ameria are an Aparthied state oppresing the Human rights and freedom of Palestinians Christians and Muslim, illegally occupied and terrorized Palestinian refugee camps and settlements ..inflicting murder , torture, and ethnically and religiously cleaning Palestinina Christians and Musliims ! More importantly , UN designates Palestinian in Gaza as “Freedom Fighters” , not terrorist as Nentanyahue has stated !
Conspiracy theories claimed that the 9/11 bombings were coordinated by C.I. A and Mosad agents to launch war on Terrorism which as we now know wrere not war on Terrorist , but war on Soverign Countries of the Middle East not under the control of America and Israel ! The Iraq war was launched with lies in support of Israel by Jewish Zionist Madeleinge Albrighat , Wolfowitz, lieberman , Pearlman of the U.S. state department! Madeleign Albright was made famous “When Leslie Stahl newscaster” asked Madeleign Albright …if the economic sanctions that had killed 400,000 children in Iraq before the Bush invasion , replied …”Yes , it was worth it” without denying the charges !
Zionist Blinken , Jewish Zionist Blinken, Nuland, Zelensky porvoked Russia to invade UKraine , and Biden , Blinken , Netanyahue and the entire Neo Nazi Zionist cabinet of America have provoked the Palestinians, now breaking out of their concentration Camps
They have lost the war in the Ukraine , and faileed to bait Russia intor starting Nuclear war , now they relby on Junior partner Israel to incite Armagedon !