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  • China ventures in to Greece.

    Beijing's Greek deal a wake-up call for EU
    SIMON TISDALL
    June 19, 2010

    Beijing's Greek deal a wake-up call for EU
    ANALYSIS

    CHINA'S forceful intervention in the Greek debt crisis this week has given harassed European Union leaders a sharp reminder of the challenges posed by Beijing's relentless pursuit of global interest and influence.

    What was seen in Athens as a potential financial lifeline was, for others, a troubling sign of a future made in China.
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    A Chinese Vice-Premier, Zhang Dejiang, made shipping, tourism and telecommunications deals worth several billion euros during the second visit to Athens in four weeks by a high-ranking Beijing official. The investment package, reportedly the biggest by China in Europe, was a welcome shot in the arm for the Greek government.

    But a Radio Free Europe commentator, Breffni O'Rourke, highlighted the wider significance for Europe.

    ''The Chinese are hard-headed realists and they recognise in Greece the ideal portal for exports to the Balkans,'' Mr O'Rourke said. ''They have decided to establish a bridgehead there at a moment when the terms are most favourable.''

    By way of counterbalance, China's firmly rooted reluctance to support policies inimical to its economic prospects and geopolitical influence has also been on display. Sanctions on Iran agreed by the European Union on Thursday will not inhibit Chinese firms, already big investors in Iran, from supplanting EU businesses.

    Beijing forced the United Nations Security Council to water down the latest UN sanctions against Tehran; it is pressing ahead with a deal to build two civilian nuclear reactors in Pakistan despite Western concerns about proliferation; and it has steadfastly refused to condemn North Korea for sinking a South Korean naval vessel in March.

    A report published this week by the European Council on Foreign Relations says an increasingly neg-ative pattern in Chinese behaviour poses a ''huge test'' for Europe.

    Its author, Francois Godement, said it was time EU leaders woke up to the scale and seriousness of the global challenge posed by Beijing and took a tougher line.

    Dr Godement said European assumptions that China would adopt modern, Western-style ''values and interests'' as it developed into a modern, global power were flawed. The EU should adopt a hard-nosed, conditional and unified approach, the report concluded.

    It seems increasingly clear that Europe, like the US, must prepare for a day when China seeks physically to protect its burgeoning interests with ''hard power''.

    Greece may be safe for now. But it would not do to be complacent.
    “the misery of being exploited by capitalists is nothing compared to the misery of not being exploited at all” -- Joan Robinson

  • #2
    The Chinese behemoth awakes

    The trade deal with Greece is the latest in a series of increasingly aggressive moves by China to extend its influence

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    * Simon Tisdall
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    o Simon Tisdall
    o guardian.co.uk, Thursday 17 June 2010 17.30 BST
    o Article history

    Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou ( Greek prime minister George Papandreou with Chinese vice-premier Zhang Dejiang earlier this week. Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images

    China's forceful intervention in the Greek debt crisis this week has given harassed European leaders meeting at today's EU summit a sharp reminder of the challenges posed by Beijing's relentless, expansive, and not always benign pursuit of global interest and influence. What was seen in Athens as a potential financial lifeline was, for others, a troubling sign of a future made in China.

    Chinese vice-premier Zhang Dejiang agreed shipping, tourism and telecommunications deals worth several billion euros during the second visit to Athens in four weeks by a high-ranking Beijing official. The investment package, reportedly the biggest ever by China in Europe, was a welcome shot in the arm for the beleaguered Greek government.

    But Radio Free Europe commentator Breffni O'Rourke highlighted the intervention's wider significance for Europe as a whole. "The Chinese are hard-headed realists and they recognise in Greece the ideal portal for exports to the Balkans. They have decided to establish a bridgehead there at a moment when the terms are most favourable," he said.

    Another example of China's lengthening reach was this week's report that state-controlled PetroChina might consider a takeover bid for BP, whose share price has plunged following the Gulf of Mexico spill. Such a takeover would create a giant company with 73% more oil reserves than ExxonMobil and 187% more than Shell.

    By way of counterbalance, China's firmly rooted reluctance to support policies inimical to its economic prospects and geopolitical influence has also been on display. Tough sanctions on Iran agreed by the EU this week specifically prohibit new energy sector investment and sales. But German manufacturers predict that Chinese firms that suffer no such official inhibitions and are already big investors in Iran will simply supplant European businesses.

    Beijing is nothing if not consistent. It successfully forced the Security Council to water down the latest UN sanctions against Tehran. It is pressing ahead with a deal to build two civilian nuclear reactors in Pakistan despite western proliferation concerns. And it has steadfastly refused to condemn its nuclear armed ally, North Korea, for the March sinking of a South Korean naval vessel.

    A report published this week by the independent London-based thinktank, the European Council on Foreign Relations, discerns an increasingly negative pattern in Chinese behaviour, which, it claims, poses a "huge test" for Europe. It's time EU leaders woke up to the scale and escalating seriousness of the global challenge posed by Beijing and took a tougher line, the report's author, François Godement, said.

    "Chinese foreign policy experts saw the collapse of Lehman Brothers not as a one-off crisis but as a structural change in the distribution of power. Since then, China has become assertive across a range of foreign policy issues," the report said. "China has repeatedly snubbed Europeans [over] Tibet. It has become even less apologetic about its human rights violations, has deepened economic ties with North Korea … and slowed down progress on Iran.

    "At the Copenhagen climate conference, China used tough tactics to [prevent] an agreement on a binding commitment for developing countries … In short, China has frustrated hopes for increased global responsibility-sharing while pursuing its own economic and strategic interests."

    Godement argued that European assumptions that China would adopt modern, western-style "values and interests" as it developed into a modern, global power were now daily exposed as flawed. If anything, he said, China was pursuing a "normless" or values-free foreign policy with "minimal" commitment to upholding the international order. It was not so much interested in multilateral agreements brokered through the UN or the global trading system as in subregional and bilateral deals furthering its national aims.

    One example is last week's gas pipeline agreement with Kazakhstan, part of Beijing's ambitious energy strategy in central Asia. But there are many others, including its deep-water port-building projects in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan, trade deals in south-east Asia, and numerous bilateral resource projects in African countries.

    The EU should adopt a hard-nosed, conditional and unified approach to China to have any chance of holding its own on the issues that matter most to Europeans, such as climate change, proliferation, human rights, and trade and investment, the report concluded.

    That said, it seems increasingly clear that Europe, like the US, must prepare for the day when China seeks physically to protect its burgeoning interests with "hard power". American commentators suggest this is already happening in relation to Taiwan and, increasingly, in Beijing's attempts to dominate the South China sea.

    "It is not that China has a masterplan for world domination. Rather, like all rising powers (19th-century America included), the logic of its growth requires it to play a greater international role," wrote Daniel Blumenthal on the Foreign Policy magazine website. Sooner or later, he predicted, China would develop expeditionary land forces to defend its interests in the region and in strategic areas like central Asia.

    Greece is probably safe for now. But it wouldn't do to be complacent.


    The Chinese behemoth awakes | Simon Tisdall | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
    “the misery of being exploited by capitalists is nothing compared to the misery of not being exploited at all” -- Joan Robinson

    Comment


    • #3
      China eyeing major Greek investments: report

      AFP: China eyeing major Greek investments: report

      BEIJING — China plans to invest billions of euros in shipping, logistics and airport projects in Greece, as the European nation battles to slash its massive debt, a report said Tuesday.

      The investment deals are due to be signed on Tuesday during a visit to Athens by Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang, the Financial Times reported, citing an unnamed Greek government official.

      "These concern maritime affairs, telecoms and a project to renovate a landmark tower building in Athens' port of Piraeus," the official was quoted as saying.

      Other deals including shipbuilding agreements worth 500 million euros (615 million dollars) will also be signed, the report said.

      Athens is seeking to attract investment from countries with massive sovereign wealth funds -- such as China -- in an effort to stimulate economic growth in its debt-laden economy.

      Greece's abundant port facilities, the quality of its world-leading merchant fleet and its strategic location as a gateway into the Balkans and Europe have drawn interest from Chinese global commercial giant Cosco.

      The Chinese company last year signed with Greece a 35-year concession to expand the two main container terminals at the main Greek port of Piraeus for a guaranteed premium of 3.4 billion euros.

      "Cosco has a major plan to build the port of Piraeus into the greatest container hub in the Eastern Mediterranean area, and we will create a logistics centre in Piraeus," Cosco chief executive Wei Jiafu told reporters last month.

      Greek transport minister Dimitris Reppas said in May that Chinese companies could be interested in involvement in the privatisation of Greece's heavily indebted railway OSE.

      The European Union and the International Monetary Fund have given Greece a 110-billion-euro bailout package over three years to tackle the fiscal crisis, which has spilled over into eurozone countries such as Spain and Portugal.

      Moody's ratings agency on Monday slashed its sovereign rating for Greece to "junk" status, a move rejected by Athens, which said it had taken significant steps to balance its books.
      “the misery of being exploited by capitalists is nothing compared to the misery of not being exploited at all” -- Joan Robinson

      Comment


      • #4
        Greece is tapping China's deep pockets to help rebuild its economy

        By Anthony Faiola
        Wednesday, June 9, 2010; A01

        PIRAEUS, GREECE -- Nearly bankrupt and sullied in the eyes of foreign investors, Greece is moving to rebuild its economy by tapping the deep pockets of another ancient civilization: China.

        Spurred on by government incentives and bargain-basement prices, the Chinese are planning to pump hundreds of millions -- perhaps billions -- of euros into Greece even as other investors run the other way. The cornerstone of those plans is the transformation of the Mediterranean port of Piraeus into the Rotterdam of the south, creating a modern gateway linking Chinese factories with consumers across Europe and North Africa.

        The port project is emerging as a bellwether for Greek plans to pay down debt and reinvent its broken economy by privatizing inefficient government-owned utilities, trains and even casinos. This week, the Chinese shipping giant Cosco assumed full control of the major container dock in Piraeus, just southwest of Athens. In return, the Chinese have pledged to spend $700 million to construct a new pier and upgrade existing docks.

        The Greek government, for its part, is taking on the powerful unions in a bid to ensure that the Chinese can introduce dramatic changes to increase efficiency and productivity. That effort has ironically turned the Greek Communist Party -- which is closely aligned with the labor unions -- into the fiercest critic of China's economic march on Greece.

        The Greek government is also courting China for a bevy of other projects, including a sprawling new distribution center in the industrial wastelands west of Athens, a monorail line, five-star hotels and a new maritime theme park. Greek hotels, eager to fill rooms as crisis-weary Europeans cut back on travel, are also wooing Chinese tour operators as never before. The whitewashed island of Santorini has started selling itself as the ideal spot for "Big Fat Mandarin Weddings" and has seen a surge in fairytale nuptials by wealthy Chinese as a result.

        "We have a saying in China, 'Construct the eagle's nest, and the eagle himself will come,' " Wei Jiafu, Cosco's charismatic chief executive, said in a televised interview in Athens this week. A high-ranking member of China's Communist Party, he is now so well-known in Greece that many here refer to him by his nickname, "Captain Wei."

        "We have constructed such a nest in your country to attract such Chinese eagles," he said. "This is our contribution to you."
        Pattern of investing

        The Chinese have plunked down billions from Angola to Peru to ensure the delivery of natural resources to feed China's red-hot economy as well as to guarantee unfettered and cost-effective shipment of its exports abroad. The investments here in Greece, analysts say, are part of China's plan to create a network of roads, pipelines, railroads and port facilities -- sort of a modern Silk Road -- to boost East-West trade.

        Forced in April to turn to the European Union and International Monetary Fund for a $140 billion bailout, Greece fits perfectly into China's pattern of investing in challenging environments. China is building a new commercial maritime base in Greece at a time when other European nations remain suspicious of Chinese state investment. France, citing national security risks, recently blocked a bid by China to take over a French firm.

        Alarm is also growing that China's plans will flood Europe with cheap Asian imports.

        "There is growing unease in Europe at the extent and size of their trade imbalance with China," said Jonathan Wood, global issues analyst at Control Risks in London. "They are worried about finding themselves in the same situation as the United States, running a high trade deficit with China."

        Yet the Greeks see Chinese investment as nothing short of a gift from the gods. The biggest question facing the troubled European Union is how nations with uncompetitive economies such as Portugal, Spain and Greece can reinvent themselves to be more on par with the successful nations of Northern Europe. Greek officials say Chinese investment is offering a glimpse into how this nation can do just that by building on its expertise in shipping.

        "The Chinese want a gateway into Europe," Theodoros Pangalos, Greece's deputy prime minister, said in an interview. "They are not like these Wall Street [expletive] pushing financial investments on paper. The Chinese deal in real things, in merchandise. And they will help the real economy in Greece."

        Yet the privatization of the port also shows how difficult such a transition might be, particularly as Greece tries to privatize more of its economy.
        35-year lease

        The Chinese deal for the port began to come together in 2006, with Cosco taking transitional control of the main dock at Piraeus on Oct. 1, 2009. It came in armed with a 35-year lease and a mission to whip the notoriously inefficient container docks into shape.

        The unloading of a mid-size cargo ship could take as long a week at Piraeus, days longer than at a modern, well-run port such as Rotterdam, now Europe's largest. Many in the shipping industry blamed Greek state workers. "The problem is, the workers were trained to make more money without working," said Nicolas Vernicos, owner of a shipping company whose tugboats have been subcontracted by the Chinese to operate at the port. "That is Greece's problem."

        The unions at the port had been striking off and on for months to protest the Chinese arrival. Greece's Socialist government, which came to power in October, initially stood behind the unions, almost scuttling the Chinese deal.

        But as Greece's economy went into a tailspin, the government did an about-face, not only welcoming the Chinese at the container dock but also entering into new talks with them for a major shipping repair hub at the port as well as a huge new distribution center.

        As part of the deal, 500 union workers at the port were gradually replaced -- allowing the Chinese to bring in cheaper subcontractors. To calm the unions, the government offered 140 workers up to $2,000 a month in pension payments, while others were promised government jobs elsewhere.

        The unions and the Greek Communist Party say the Chinese are hiring subcontractors with fewer than 20 workers -- putting them just below the legal threshold in Greece to form organized unions. In addition, they say, the new workers are being pushed too hard, pointing to an incident three weeks ago when two new hires were hospitalized after being injured on the job.

        "We are not only giving up national sovereignty but selling our workers out," said Nikos Xourafis, a labor leader with the Greek Port Workers Association. "That can't be the answer for Greece."

        Special correspondent Iason Athanasiadis contributed to this report.
        Greece is tapping China's deep pockets to help rebuild its economy
        “the misery of being exploited by capitalists is nothing compared to the misery of not being exploited at all” -- Joan Robinson

        Comment


        • #5
          how to say "short sales" in Greece?
          “the misery of being exploited by capitalists is nothing compared to the misery of not being exploited at all” -- Joan Robinson

          Comment


          • #6
            Communists helping out fellow "labor unions..." All's right in the world.
            "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by gunnut View Post
              Communists helping out fellow "labor unions..." All's right in the world.
              The unions at the port had been striking off and on for months to protest the Chinese arrival. Greece's Socialist government, which came to power in October, initially stood behind the unions, almost scuttling the Chinese deal.

              But as Greece's economy went into a tailspin, the government did an about-face, not only welcoming the Chinese at the container dock but also entering into new talks with them for a major shipping repair hub at the port as well as a huge new distribution center.

              As part of the deal, 500 union workers at the port were gradually replaced -- allowing the Chinese to bring in cheaper subcontractors. To calm the unions, the government offered 140 workers up to $2,000 a month in pension payments, while others were promised government jobs elsewhere.

              The unions and the Greek Communist Party say the Chinese are hiring subcontractors with fewer than 20 workers -- putting them just below the legal threshold in Greece to form organized unions. In addition, they say, the new workers are being pushed too hard, pointing to an incident three weeks ago when two new hires were hospitalized after being injured on the job.

              "We are not only giving up national sovereignty but selling our workers out," said Nikos Xourafis, a labor leader with the Greek Port Workers Association. "That can't be the answer for Greece."
              Ohhh almost.....actually no, a million miles off man, it was literally on the screen in front of you, is there any excuse for that kind of dogmatic ignorance?

              As if a corporatist authoritarian dictatorship has many friends with Unions.
              Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.
              - John Stuart Mill.

              Comment


              • #8
                Notice not a single "anti-chinese" union was the "government" union...hence the "quotes" in the "labor union" in my original post.

                I guess sarcasm doesn't translate well across the internet.
                "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by gunnut View Post
                  Notice not a single "anti-chinese" union was the "government" union...hence the "quotes" in the "labor union" in my original post.

                  I guess sarcasm doesn't translate well across the internet.
                  Are the government unions cheering the Chinese on or something, as opposed to 'private' unions?

                  I can't see any union welcoming China's involvement in Greece, as China is the most anti-union nation on Earth.
                  Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.
                  - John Stuart Mill.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by crooks View Post
                    Are the government unions cheering the Chinese on or something, as opposed to 'private' unions?

                    I can't see any union welcoming China's involvement in Greece, as China is the most anti-union nation on Earth.
                    China has one big union...the commie party. It does everything a labor union does, and more. Step out of line...whacked! Sounds like a union to me. It sets wages, whip people in line, suppress anti-union (commie) speech, persecutes the capitalists, piss on scabs...you name it.

                    The government wants China's money. By extension, so do the government employees unions. Given a choice of cutting pension or take China's money, I'm going with "taking China's money."
                    "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I like that, hits the spot, right on.
                      “the misery of being exploited by capitalists is nothing compared to the misery of not being exploited at all” -- Joan Robinson

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Beijing's Greek deal a wake-up call for EU
                        SIMON TISDALL
                        June 19, 2010
                        What an alarmist piece of anti-Chinese propaganda... "Oh no, the Chinese are investing in Greece when the Greeks need it the most! My god, what an evil conspiracy!" Perhaps this author would prefer that the Greeks continue to be a financial burden to the EU and survive on EU handouts?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by gunnut View Post
                          China has one big union...the commie party. It does everything a labor union does, and more. Step out of line...whacked! Sounds like a union to me. It sets wages, whip people in line, suppress anti-union (commie) speech, persecutes the capitalists, piss on scabs...you name it.

                          The government wants China's money. By extension, so do the government employees unions. Given a choice of cutting pension or take China's money, I'm going with "taking China's money."
                          Got it in one - 'one big union', not many competing unions, just the one.

                          And membership of any other union is forbidden - that's the most anti-union idea I've ever heard, take it from someone who's been in them, unions greatest strength is the fact that there are thousands of perspectives, and you'd be hard pushed to find a more vibrant discussion on politics than inside an ungagged union.

                          China's a joke, and it's 'union' is really just to keep a tab on productive labour while their rights are consistantly violated, and preventing strikes and such because the union doesn't support them (being an arm of the government)....ingenius for control, not so good for people.

                          And the Greek unions (public included) must see China's anti-union policy and know where it's going to leave them long-term (China's main concern will be lowering wages), so I wouldn't quite expect them to welcome the Chinese with open arms.
                          Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.
                          - John Stuart Mill.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            China's a joke
                            indeed.... a bankrupted capitalist nation has to short sales its ineffective government owned assets to a Commie-ist that runs like a real corporation.


                            yet somehow, workers of China just won 20percent pay increase with strikes....

                            http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/ris...ue-strike.html
                            “the misery of being exploited by capitalists is nothing compared to the misery of not being exploited at all” -- Joan Robinson

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by xinhui View Post
                              indeed.... a bankrupted capitalist nation has to short sales its ineffective government owned assets to a Commie-ist that runs like a real corporation.
                              Yeah, the commies have a slick machine, through suppression and the absence of the concept of 'rights', for individuals or groups.

                              To a degree everyone in the West is beholden to China, I personally don't agree with free trade with the Chinese unless it becomes a democracy, but I digress, I don't set foreign or economic policy for this country, and those who do would consider it an unrealistic proposition (that it is unrealistic shows how tied to China the west has become).

                              For Greece a cost-benefit analysis might be in order - is the money really worth China having a say in how the country is run?

                              No bloody way, cut like Thatcher, and hike like Bush Snr to avoid such a fate.

                              Originally posted by xinhui View Post
                              yet somehow, workers of China just won 20percent pay increase with strikes....

                              http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/ris...ue-strike.html
                              That's because workers seem to realise that if they proactively campaign for their rights they can get them, especially against foreign companies, and the government isn't arsed stopping them on such small stakes - just watch, as soon as China's dictatorship elite is hindered by this, how fast the army are called in and the unions are crushed.
                              Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.
                              - John Stuart Mill.

                              Comment

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