Greece proposed a three-year cooperation plan to Beijing involving ports, ship building and repair, credit, supply chain and culture during Greek Deputy Prime Minister Yiannis Dragasakis’s recent visit to China, according to the Chinese government.

Beijing said that it expressed the desire to see a more detailed plan to pave the way for its signing as early as possible. Following Dragasakis’s visit, China also made it clear that it expects the continuation and completion of the tender for the sale of the majority stake in Piraeus Port Authority (OLP).

Nevertheless privatization projects appear to be moving sideways, Kathimerini understands that a meeting at the prime minister’s office on Monday, in Alexis Tsipras’s presence, concluded that the government intends to proceed with the outstanding tenders and deals by the state sell-off fund (TAIPED) but with changes that will considerably alter the terms of the tenders already proclaimed and of the deals reached.

On the privatization of 14 regional airports, Athens will seek participation in the companies set up to manage the terminals and have veto rights on the investors’ decisions, while the government wishes to exclude coastal shipping activity from OLP’s realm.