Impressive presence of Greece in Oil China 2012

Impressive was the presence of Greece in the meeting held on April 23, 2012 in the exhibition «Oil China 2012», the only specialized exhibition for the oil, held in Beijing on 23-25/5/2012. During the conference the Italian olive oil was presented by the Ministry of Rural Development, the Spanish olive oil by the Spanish embassy in Beijing and the Greek olive oil by the Institute of Economic and Cultural Action Greece China.

The president of the Institute, Ms Pelagia Karpathiotaki, addressed the conference in Chinese and afterwards the comparative advantages of Greek olive oil were presented by the Institute of Chinese partners. The conference was attended by the Greek Ambassador of China Mr. Theodore Georgakelos, by the Cultural Attaché Ms Elena Avramidou, by the press and communications officer at the embassy Mr. Chris Failadis and Ms Maria Kouvatsos, member of the Greek embassy finance department.

The public attended the workshop consisted of Chinese food import companies, which, apart from the Greek olive oil, had the opportunity to taste other Greek agricultural products. The organizer of the exhibition and the attendees, through the completion of specific questionnaires that were distributed to the public, expressed very positive comments about the interactivity of the presentation.

Upon completion of the exhibition, IOPEK will continue his contacts with Chinese companies that have expressed interest in the Greek olive oil and other Greek products.
Interview of the President of the Institute in China Daily
Pellagia Karpathiotakis said: “This is a good time for foreign investors to consider Greece. Bureaucracy has been reduced and the investment environment and competitiveness have also improved”
The newspaper article:
“Greeks bearing financial gifts Athens may be tackling a crisis but still has plenty to offer: economist As Greeks went to the polls on Sunday debating the best way to tackle their economic crisis, politicians across the spectrum agreed that international investment will play a key role. While images of protests in Athens against austerity have dominated TV news, measures to tackle the debt crisis have attracted far less publicity. One of the measures, Fast Track, aims to streamline procedures for foreign companies investing in Greece. One possible investment that is sure to attract international attention, the country’s public assets, have been valued at 15 billion euros ($19. 6 billion). “We firmly believe Chinese companies might be interested in some of the privatized assets,” Dimitrios Thomopoulos from the Greek Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs in Beijing, said. Eager to reduce the nation’s massive debt load, Greece’s Inter-Ministerial Strategic Investments Committee approved new investments worth 5.6 billion euros on March 6 under the Fast Track program. Five of the six approved projects (none of them directly involving Chinese companies) are investments in the energy and renewable energy sectors. The other, an investment in the gold mining sector by Thrace Gold Mines S.A., under the Canadian company Eldorado Gold, has been budgeted at 129 million euros. In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Greek Ambassador to China Theodore Georgeakelos said there are many potential areas for Chinese firms to invest in and these have yet to be “exploited”. One of the ambassador’s primary roles since coming into office has been helping to revive the Greek economy, and publicizing the investment benefits of various sectors, including research, technology, renewable energy and tourism. “This is where we have a comparative advantage,” he said. “We have very good infrastructure, educated personnel, and legislation that is business and investment friendly. I think, like previous Chinese investment, new investments can be profitable both for the investors and the Greek economy,” he added. A China-based Greek economist expressed her optimism over the “one-stop office” aspect of the Fast Track program for investments over 2 million euros. “This is a good time for foreign investors to consider Greece. Bureaucracy has been reduced and the investment environment and competitiveness have also improved,” Pelagia Karpathiotaki, the president of the Institute of Economic and Cultural Action Greece-China, said. At the end of 2011, China had $3.18 trillion in foreign reserves, the largest in the world. About 20 percent has been invested in euro-denominated assets. According to Yi Gang, vice-governor of the People’s Bank of China and head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, China will continue to invest part of its foreign reserves in European bonds. But public concern has been expressed over the strategy. Social media and micro blogs have voiced disquiet at the idea of bailing out rich European nations rather than fixing China’s widening wealth gap problem. “The Chinese government is pursuing a determined policy of developing various parts of China,” Georgeakelos said, before adding that “there is a real need to diversify Chinese investments”. Yi told reporters last month that China is eyeing industrial and strategic assets, such as renewable energy and shipping, rather than Greek government bonds that are at high risk of default. “For China, this is a way to help Europe at this historic juncture,” Georgeakelos said. “Moreover, this approach allows Chinese leaders to avoid internal criticism of bailing out rich Europe.” To be considered for Fast Track, investments have to meet certain criteria, including job creation, be innovative and environment friendly. Some Chinese companies have already invested in Greece. The most notable is Cosco Pacific, one of the world’s largest shipping container companies. In October 2009, it took over operations at Greece’s main port, Piraeus. It signed a 35-year lease in June 2008 and will spend $707 million in upgrading facilities to build new piers and triple the volume of cargo. This is expected to be completed in 2014. There are also smaller Chinese investments in the pipeline. Chinese real estate company BCEGI Group and Helios Plaza signed an agreement in 2010 for the construction of a hotel and shopping complex in Piraeus next to the port. Chinese companies have also shown interest in Germany’s Hochtieff’s share in Athens airport, although nothing has been finalized yet.”http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012-05/07/content_15220509.htm
The newspaper article published on the website “The Jakarta post”
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/05/07/greeks-offer-financial-gifts-china.html
SIAL China 2012
The 13rd Edition of SIAL China will take place from May 9-11, 2012 in Shanghai New International Expo Center. Sial Group is the biggest international network of trade exhibitors dedicated to the Food & Beverage sector.
More than 1500 exhibitors from 40 countries to 60,000 m² exhibition space. SIAL Group helps to boost export business across the world. Participate in one of the largest exhibitions in China with Institute of Economic and Cultural action Greece China. For the past 10 years, SIAL China has been the leading event for the Chinese food market. Domestic and international producers and manufacturers of food products, wine and spirits, and food service equipment…contributed to make a success of this main Asian event. SIAL CHINA will set the benchmark for overseas companies stepping into China as well as providing valuable insights and trends of the Chinese food & beverage market to overseas buyer. Attend this strong & growing platform : China’s unique meeting point in the F&B & HoReCa industry ! Exhibit in SIAL China and benefit from:
- The International Network SIAL: Paris – Canada – Mercosur – Middle East
- The unique trade show with a perfect mix of 50% international exhibitors and 50% national exhibitors
- Shanghai, the new worldwide Capital.
- Recognized, qualitative and numerous Events
- Strong domestic and international professional visitors
- The presence of all the major Chinese players of the Food & Beverage market in China
Oil China 2012
Oil China – the only professional international exhibition of olive oil and edible oil in China
8th Oil China 2012 will be held in Beijing during 23rd – 25th of April, 2012. Oil China will play an important role in promoting higher end oil consumption, thus bring additional business opportunities for exhibitors. A series of activities have been devised to give you more opportunities to demonstrate your products, gain insight to Chinese market and close sales. Oil China, under the amazing potential market environment, supported by domestic and international enterprises with the professional organization offering: generate publicity, demonstrate products, build business communities, increase sales, meet new prospects, develop relationships with your customers, professional industry learning, and etc. Also Oil China will use different channel to promote the products suit to the target customer following the edible oil classification. Make sure every target customer get right information to maximize supporting and enriching the industry. As one of the food with nutrition value, olive oil is more and more welcome in China. At present more than 200-brand olive oil appears in Chinese olive oil market, which nearly 100% import from Spain, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Tunis, Portugal, Jordan, Australia and so on.
The main consumption cities of olive oil are Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Tianjin and other large and middle cities. According to the following graph, since 2004 the average proportion of import olive oil has been keeping the increases nearly 60% per year. With the same rate till to 2010 that World Expo will be held in Shanghai it will be over 25,000 tons. Along with the upgrade of the living level of Chinese people with the progress of health consciousness, olive oil will have the larger scale in Chinese edible oil market.
Participate in one of the largest exhibitions in China with IECGC or your exhibition booth. For more informations contact us.
SIAL CHINA 2012
SIAL China – China’s largest international Food & Beverage trade show.
The 13rd Edition of SIAL China will take place from May 9-11, 2012 in Shanghai New International Expo Center. Sial Group is the biggest international network of trade exhibitors dedicated to the Food & Beverage sector. SIAL Group helps to boost export business across the world.
SIAL China 2011 has consolidated its position of largest Food & beverage trade show in China.
No.1 meeting point for Retailers, Importers and Sourcing.
In figures:
- 1,520 exhibitors from 76 countries and regions
- 60,000 sqm exhibition space
- 29 international pavilions: France – USA – Malaysia – Brazil – Morocco – Tunisia – Turkey – Uruguay – Portugal – Argentina – Netherlands – Spain – Ireland – Poland – Greece – Germany – Italy …
- 28 Chinese provinces and regions
- 33,265 Visitors
- 9 Products Zones: Wine & Spirits, Dairy, Sweets & Confectionery, Organic, Gourmet, Tea & Coffee, Halal, Frozen Food, Canned & Preserved food.

Participate in one of the largest exhibitions in China with IECGC or your exhibition booth. For more informations contact us.
China Snack Food 2011 Report
China Snack Food was organised by the European Snacks Association (ESA) and by CFNA – the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Foodstuffs. It took place on September 15 – 17, 2011 at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing, China.
Olive Oil
Sinoccygen 2011 (Beijing 3/9/2011)
During the Sinoccygen 2011, painting exhibition and the competition for young artists from France and China, the president of the Institute Pelagia Karpathiotaki, attended the Museum-Art Gallery DAFAN in Beijing (09/03/2011).
798 Art Zone, Beijing
“798″ is located in the Dashanzi area, to the northeast of central Beijing.It is the site of state-owned factories including Factory 798, which originally produced electronics.
Beginning in 2002, artists and cultural organizations began to divide, rent out, and re-make the factory spaces, gradually developing them into galleries, art centers, artists’ studios, design companies, restaurants, and bars.



It became a “Soho-esque” area of international character, replete with “loft living,” attracting attention from all around. Bringing together contemporary art, architecture, and culture with a historically interesting location and an urban lifestyle, “798″ has evolved into a cultural concept, of interest to experts and normal folk alike, influential on our concepts of both urban culture and living space.

Peking opera
Peking opera or Beijing opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century.
Having a history of 160 years, it has created many ‘firsts’ in Chinese dramas: the abundance of repertoires, the number of artists, opera troupes and spectators.
Beijing Opera is developed from absorbing many other dramatic forms, mostly from the local drama ‘Huiban’ which was popular in South China during the 18th century. It is a scenic art integrating music, performance, literature, aria, and face-painting. Certain rules are set up and regulations are standardized during many artists’ long practice on stage. Different from regional plays, it is stricter on the variety of the workmanship. The combination of virtual and reality – a special technique of expression, keeps it largely free from the restriction of time and space on stage performance. Beijing Opera has had many interesting names since it came into being, such as Jinghuang, Daxi, Pingju, Jingxi.

Peking opera was denounced as ‘feudalistic’ and ‘bourgeoise’ during the Cultural Revolution, and replaced with the eight revolutionary model operas as a means of propaganda and indoctrination. After the Cultural Revolution, these transformations were largely undone. In recent years, Peking opera has attempted numerous reforms in response to sagging audience numbers. These reforms, which include improving performance quality, adapting new performance elements, and performing new and original plays, have met with mixed success.
During the second half of the 20th century, Peking opera witnessed a steady decline in audience numbers. This has been attributed both to a decrease in performance quality and an inability of the traditional opera form to capture modern life. Furthermore, the archaic language of Peking opera required productions to utilize electronic subtitles, which hampered the development of the form. The influence of Western culture has also left the younger generations impatient with the slow pacing of Peking opera.

In addition to its presence in Mainland China, Peking opera has spread to many other places. It can be found in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities elsewhere. Mei Lanfang, one of the most famous Dan performers of all time, was also one of the greatest popularizers of Peking opera abroad. During the 1920s, he performed Peking opera in Japan. This inspired an American tour in February 1930. Although some, such as the actor Otis Skinner, believed that Peking opera could never be a success in the United States, the favorable reception of Lanfang and his troupe in New York City disproved this notion. The performances had to be relocated from the 49th Street Theater to the larger National Theater, and the duration of the tour extended from two weeks to five.

Shàolín
The Shaolin Monastery or Shaolin Temple is a Chán Buddhist temple at Song Shan near Zhengzhou City Henan Province in Dengfeng, China. Founded in the 5th century, the monastery is long famous for its association with Chinese martial arts and particularly with Shaolin Kung Fu, and it is the Mahayana Buddhist monastery perhaps best known to the Western world. The Shaolin Monastery and its famed Pagoda Forest were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 as part of the “Historic Monuments of Dengfeng. The shào (少) in “Shaolin” refers to “Mount Shaoshi”, a mountain in the Songshan mountain range and lín (林) means “forest”.

Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery. Of the tens of thousands of kung fu and wushu styles, several hundred might have some relationship to Shaolin.
It has been since then that Shaolin has been popularly synonymous for what are considered the external Chinese martial arts, regardless of whether or not the particular style in question has any connection to the Shaolin Monastery. Some say that there is no differentiation between the so-called internal and external systems of the Chinese martial arts, while other well-known teachers have expressed differing opinions. For example, the Taijiquan teacher Wu Jianquan.

Some lineages of Karate have oral traditions that claim Shaolin origins. Martial arts traditions in Japan and Korea, and Southeast Asia cite Chinese influence as transmitted by Buddhist monks.
Recent developments in the 20th century such as Shorinji Kempo practised in Japan’s Sohonzan Shorinji still maintains close ties with China’s Song Shan Shaolin Temple due to historic links. Japanese Shorinji Kempo Group financial contributions to the maintenance of the historic edifice of the Song Shan Shaolin Temple in 2003 received China’s recognition.














