Greece has the potential to attract 37 billion euro investments in a five year period mainly in energy, infrastructure, property development and water and waste management, was stated during an investment seminar organized on 8th November in Beijing by the Greek agency Invest in Greece with the organizational and communicational assistance of the Greek Embassy.

Addressing the event, H.E. The Ambassador of Greece in Beijing, Theodore Georgakelos, expressed his optimism for the future and his confidence that Greece will attract foreign investments. “Already we have very positive results” he noted referring to some successful foreign ventures in Greece and in particular to the investment of Chinese shipping giant COSCO in the port of Piraeus. “The investment has turned profitable for the company despite the problems global shipping industry faces”, saild Mr. Georgakelos.

Referring to the current situation in Greece, the investment climate and the possibility of Greece leaving the euro zone, Mr. Georgakelos noted that “the future of Greece is in euro, within the eurozone, in Europe” and stressed the fact that Greece is among the safest investment destinations worldwide.

The current economic crisis can present many opportunities for Chinese investors said Angela Michalopoulou, head of Investment Promotion of Invest in Greece agency, during her presentation at the event. Mrs Michalopoulou presented the ongoing government reforms aimed to spur investments and growth and showcased Greece’s competitive advantages and growth sector opportunities. She refereed to the new Fast Track law and underlined that a review of some key sectors, in which Greece holds a competitive advantage, suggests additional growth in the order of 1,5% annually to Greek GDP growth in the medium term.

Furthermore, Mrs Michalopoulou presented some of the main aspects of the ambitious privatizations program in a wide range of sectors with high potential (Infrastructure, Energy, Telecommunications, Gaming, Real Estate) stressing that one of Greece’s advantages is that it offers high skilled personnel in comparatively low, competitive rates