The meeting between the Governor of Crete Stavros Arnaoutakis and the Ambassador of China to Greece, Fang Qiu, focused on strengthening the cooperation between Crete and China, with a focus on tourism, culture and agri-food products. The meeting took place on the occasion of the visit to our country of the Vice President of the State Council of China, Ding Xuexiang.
The Chinese Ambassador extended an invitation to the Governor to jointly undertake actions in view of the completion, in 2026, of the 20th anniversary of the declaration of the comprehensive strategic cooperation between Greece and China. As he emphasized, this anniversary is a milestone for the deepening of bilateral relations in areas such as culture, education, technology, energy and trade.
The focus of the discussion was the quality of Crete’s agri-food products. Fang Qiu praised their value, making special reference to Cretan olive oil and its recognized therapeutic properties. For his part, Mr. Arnaoutakis underlined that the Region of Crete is making continuous efforts, in close cooperation with producers, to promote the island’s quality products in international markets.
Tourism also had a special place in the discussion. The Ambassador referred to the three direct air connections that now connect China with Athens, noting that the increased connectivity can act as a “bridge” to enhance tourist flows to Crete. At the same time, he welcomed Beijing’s decision to extend the unilateral visa waiver for Greek citizens to 30 days, a measure that – as he said – strengthens mutual trust and facilitates travel.
In closing, Fang Qiu underlined that Crete has all the conditions to attract Chinese visitors throughout the year, even in the winter season, thanks to the combination of cultural heritage, natural beauty and high-quality tourist infrastructure. “Crete can become a four-season destination for Chinese travelers,” he said.
