Eastern Macedonia & Thrace Governor hosts Chinese Ambassador in Gümülcine, signals expansion of strategic cooperation
The Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Christodoulos Topsidis, hosted the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Greece, Fang Qiu, in Gümülcine on Friday, May 15, in a high-level meeting aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.
The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Region and marked a symbolic moment as it coincided with the 20th anniversary of the strategic partnership between Greece and China.
During the discussions, Governor Christodoulos Topsidis presented the region’s development profile, emphasizing its strategic position as a gateway between Europe and Asia. He highlighted the growing importance of the region in transportation, logistics, and energy infrastructure within a shifting geopolitical landscape.
Topsidis also underlined the region’s rising tourism potential and called for increased Chinese interest in promoting Eastern Macedonia and Thrace as a travel destination in the Asian market. He further stressed the importance of academic cooperation, particularly with the Democritus University of Thrace, as part of broader educational partnerships.
According to the governor, the region is currently engaged in approximately 150 international cooperation networks, which he said contribute significantly to knowledge transfer, investment inflows, and institutional prestige.
Chinese Ambassador Fang Qiu expressed strong interest in expanding cooperation with the region, noting opportunities in energy, tourism, education, and culture. He specifically highlighted agricultural products such as kiwi, fish, and honey as having strong export potential in the Chinese market.
Ambassador Fang also drew attention to the historical silk of Soufli, describing it as a culturally and economically valuable product with significant appeal for Chinese consumers. He encouraged stronger engagement from the business community to unlock these opportunities.
Pointing to existing cooperation between China and Greece, Fang referenced COSCO’s operations at the Port of Piraeus as a successful example of bilateral economic partnership and suggested that similar opportunities could be explored at the ports of Alexandroupoli and Kavala.
In the energy sector, the ambassador noted that China Energy is already active in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, particularly in wind energy projects, and emphasized the potential for further collaboration based on Chinese technical expertise.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides exchanged symbolic gifts and reaffirmed their intention to deepen cooperation.
Ambassador Fang stated that the visit represented “a starting point for the development of our cooperation,” while Governor Topsidis reiterated his commitment to ensuring that such partnerships contribute directly to the region’s economic and strategic development.
The Chinese delegation’s three-day visit to Eastern Macedonia and Thrace was accompanied by Deputy Regional Governor Haralambos Dalkitzis, who was credited with coordinating the visit.
