The now privatized Thessaloniki Port Authority this week announced an agreement with China Merchants Port Holdings Co. Ltd (CMPort) to promote the latter in the vast Chinese market as another main European entry point.
CMPort’s subsidiary, China Merchants Holdings Information Technology Co. Ltd (CMHIT), is also part of the agreement.
The impact of the agreement remains to be seen, given that Greece’s biggest and busiest ports, the Piraeus Port Authority, is managed by Chinese state-linked multinational Cosco, which also holds a majority stake in formerly state-run port. Piraeus, under Cosco’s management since August 2016, has emerged as one of the top container ports in the EU.
“We believe that the successful cooperation between the two companies will not be limited to the transfer of know-how, but will also promote the activities of the two in the European and Asian markets, part of the Silk Road-Belt and Road initiative,” CMPort general director Bai Jingtao said.
