Follow Greece property investment immigration and Greece news: On December 29, 2013, the Greek newspaper Kathimerini published a signed article by Ambassador to Greece Du Qiwen titled "I Am Full of Confidence in the Future of Greece" in its New Year's edition.
The full text of the article is as follows:
I Am Full of Confidence in the Future of Greece
Du Qiwen
By the time readers see this article, I will be boarding a flight back to Beijing, concluding my two-year and five-month tenure in Greece.
Over the past month, as I have bid farewell to my Greek friends, I have often been asked, as a Chinese friend who loves Greece, how I view the prospects of Greece.
My answer is, "I am full of confidence in the future of Greece."
When I first arrived in Athens in August 2011, it was at the height of the debt crisis. Many people were filled with anxiety, as if they could not see a way out of the problems. However, I have always firmly believed that this crisis is merely a ripple in the long river of Greece's thousands of years of history. After the storm, Greece will surely once again show the world its vibrant vitality.
Greece has contributed a brilliant and magnificent history and culture to humanity, and the Greek people are renowned in the family of nations for their broad-mindedness and indomitable spirit. During this crisis, the Greek economy shrank by one-quarter, consumption levels fell by 30%, and the unemployment rate reached an unprecedented level. Facing such harsh realities, the cohesion and tenacity displayed by Greek society are awe-inspiring. A bright and powerful spiritual world is the most important wealth for any nation. Undoubtedly, it will become the source of strength for the Greek people to overcome difficulties and challenges and embrace a better future.
The 21st century is a century of openness and global competition. The Greeks have always dared to lead the trends, stand at the forefront of the times, embrace all rivers, build good relationships, and maximize their comparative advantages. Greece has been a hub for shipping, trade, and personnel exchanges since ancient times. Today, as the global industrial division of labor undergoes a new round of adjustments, Greece's locational advantage in connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa has become even more prominent. The revitalization of the Port of Piraeus and the moves of multinational corporations such as HP and Huawei indicate that the time for Greece to transform its locational advantages into competitive advantages is arriving.
Encouragingly, in the face of the severe crisis in recent years, some of Greece's industrial advantages have not only not disappeared but have been further strengthened. Greek shipowners have begun to order ships in batches, and Greece's position as a leader in global shipping has been further consolidated. The Greek tourism industry is like a fire in winter, constantly bringing surprises to people. The number of foreign tourists visiting Greece this year will reach a record high. Successful development of emerging markets has significantly extended the tourist season in places like Santorini and Mykonos. Tourism is a sunrise industry in the era of globalization. The World Tourism Organization predicts that the number of global tourists will increase by 3.5 times in the next 20 years. A McKinsey special report suggests that 40% of Greece's future economic growth will come from tourism and related industries. Greece's advantageous position in the next wave of global tourism development is deeply envied by all parties.
Greece has a population of only 11 million, equivalent to 1/120th of China's. "A small boat is easy to turn, and a small population is easy to feed." The current crisis is an adjustment after Greece reached a very high level of economic and social development, laying a more solid foundation for long-term development in the future. It is gratifying that in the recent period, Greece's pace of moving forward amidst difficulties has clearly accelerated. A consensus is gradually forming that the turning point for Greece to emerge from the shadow of the crisis is not far off.
"Everything flows," this is the eternal saying of the Ephesian philosopher Heraclitus. "Ten thousand years is too long, seize the day, seize the hour," this is a line from a poem by Mao Zedong that the Chinese people love. I would like to quote these two sentences to bid farewell to my Greek friends.
Note: Kathimerini is the second-largest daily newspaper in Greece. This is the second consecutive year that Ambassador Du Qiwen has published a New Year's article in a mainstream Greek newspaper, which has received positive responses from all walks of life.