Dear Member,
This week, our weekly roundup from Greece.
US Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle spotlighted the Port of Piraeus, conveying the message that her government does not like China’s growing influence through COSCO and hinting at plans to strengthen American involvement in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The port, a key gateway for trade between China and Europe, has become a strategic chess piece in the US–China rivalry.
At the same time, Greek farmers took to the streets to protest delayed EU subsidies and the fallout from livestock crises. The PM had to escape farmers’ anger through… a back door.
Guilfoyle entered the field of play
The new US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, warned (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) that they are uneasy about China’s stake in Piraeus port.
President Trump “chose me to come to Greece because of the extremely important role Greece plays in the region. And what we see, for the future of Greece and the US, is Greece emerging as an energy hub,” she said.
She placed the Port of Piraeus at the center of her public remarks — first during her televised interview on ANT1 (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)and again at the Greece Talks forum on November 14. Guilfoyle underlined Washington’s broader concern: that the United States has “lost ground” to Russia and China in key European ports, with Piraeus standing out as a prime example. COSCO currently holds a 67% stake in the port, while in Thessaloniki, control is held by Ivan Savvidis, whose interests are closely linked to Russia. According to the ambassador, this distribution of influence is something the US aims to reconsider.
“We want to demonstrate that Greece can become the energy hub that will help us counter Russian and Chinese interests. What we are seeking is energy independence, which will strengthen national defence and national security,” she stated.
Apparently, the US is not after Greece’s “energy independence,” but after the country’s full alignment with its interests.
She acknowledged the political and economic realities that shaped Greece’s decisions at the time when Piraeus Port was handed to COSCO, noting that the country was deep in recession, with limited bidders and little stability. Guilfoyle subtly referenced decisions made under the then ND-Karamanlis government.
Her comments were not incidental. For months, U.S. officials have expressed growing concern over China’s control of strategic infrastructure across Europe. Guilfoyle reaffirmed that Washington is actively developing alternatives, including the possibility of expanding American involvement in Greek port infrastructure.
She said they are exploring new opportunities for deeper cooperation around the Port of Piraeus, noting that discussions have been underway, involving commitments, planning, and participation from American companies, with the support of Greek officials such as Stavros Papastavrou.
The message from the US side is clear: the geopolitical balance in Europe’s ports is shifting, and Washington intends to reassert its presence.
In short, Guilfoyl delivered a warning (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) to Greece: that the US wants China out of Piraeus port.
“I think there are ways around it, that something could be worked out,” as she suggested.
As if Greece didn’t already have enough geopolitical tug-of-war, it received another jolt when Guilfoyle expressed hope that Donald Trump might visit Athens — and even make an appearance at the Acropolis. “We would all love that, wouldn’t we?” she said, adding, “I’ll ask him.”
Behind the scenes
Reuters already reported (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) in September that the US intended “to look at Chinese interests in the Greek port of Piraeus” as part of President Donald Trump's mission “to weaken China's global network of ports and bring more strategic terminals under Western control” - part “of the most ambitious effort to expand U.S. maritime influence since the 1970s.”
COSCO, the Chinese state-controlled shipping giant, holds a 67% stake in the Piraeus Port Authority, a position that has effectively transformed the port into a key gateway for Chinese trade into Europe. Its terminals now serve as one of the most important logistical links between Asia and the European market, giving China a powerful foothold in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Yet this dominance has not come without friction. The Greek government has been pressing (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) COSCO to accelerate long-promised infrastructure upgrades, including improved passenger terminals, enhanced security systems, and modern digital connectivity across the port. Several of these commitments, Greek officials note, have been slow to materialise, raising concerns over whether the port’s development is keeping pace with its strategic importance.
Security considerations have deepened the conversation. Through the recent statements by Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle, Washington has framed COSCO’s presence not merely as a commercial issue but as a matter with significant strategic implications.
Last January, the Pentagon placed (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) COSCO on a blacklist due to alleged links with the Chinese military — a move that underscores how seriously US defence officials view Beijing’s maritime expansion. COSCO stated that none of its listed units are military companies. The move alarmed Greece, Reuters reported (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre).
According (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) to a report by the US Council on Foreign Relations, by August 2024, China had invested in 129 port projects worldwide. China’s shipbuilding industry is estimated to be 230 times larger than that of the United States, and Washington believes it will take decades to close this gap.
For Greece, the debate is twofold: economic and geopolitical. On the one hand, COSCO’s operation has made Piraeus the fourth largest container port (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) in Europe in 2023 and reinforced its role as a critical hub for maritime trade, delivering tangible economic benefits. On the other hand, the scale of Chinese control has become a focal point for the United States, amid an intensifying contest for influence across Europe’s ports and logistics networks.
The EU has also become involved. Earlier this year, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office carried out one of the largest container seizures in EU history (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) at the Port of Piraeus, detaining more than 2,400 containers linked to a sprawling tax-evasion network importing Chinese goods into Europe. The investigation, supported by OLAF, uncovered systematic under-invoicing, misclassification and VAT fraud worth hundreds of millions of euros. Officially, the operation is a fiscal and law enforcement action aimed at protecting EU revenue and cracking down on organized criminal networks exploiting Europe’s customs rules.
Yet the case also carries geopolitical weight. While the EPPO’s mandate is strictly financial, the fact that such large-scale fraud was routed through a port of strategic Chinese interest reinforces concerns in Brussels about oversight, economic sovereignty, and foreign influence in critical infrastructure. In that sense, the seizure is not a geopolitical move in itself, but it intersects with the broader EU effort to scrutinise the strategic footprint of non-EU powers in Europe’s transport corridors.
Tractors on the streets, PM on the dirt road: Greece’s farmers make their point
If Greece needed a reminder of who really keeps the country running, it arrived in the form of tractors, banners, and thousands of farmers descending on Athens this week. While scandals at OPEKEPE -the agency responsible for disbursing EU agricultural subsidies- dominate the headlines, it is the farmers themselves who are footing the bill for bureaucratic delays. Delayed payments (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), disease outbreaks among livestock, and rising costs have turned routine frustrations into urgent protests, and the country’s primary producers are making sure their voices are impossible to ignore.
On November 11, the farmers marched on the capital (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) with determination, demanding immediate payment of subsidies, aid for livestock breeders hit hard by sheep and goat pox (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), and an end to the administrative bottlenecks that threaten their livelihoods. The government insists that critical payments will be released by the end of the month, but patience among farmers is thin after months of uncertainty, and their protest made that clear.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis found himself navigating a more literal obstacle course. During a visit to Alexandroupoli, farmers had blocked the airport, forcing the prime minister’s convoy to sneak out through a back gate and a dirt road (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) to avoid a face-to-face confrontation. While officials described the move as a “security precaution,” opposition parties and media didn’t mince words: the prime minister “escaped” the demonstrators, highlighting just how tense the political atmosphere has become.
It is worth noting that Mitsotakis chose to visit Alexandroupolis on the same day as the farmers were protesting in Athens. Maybe not to confront them? This did not go well.
Beyond the drama, these protests are a stark reminder of the precarious position of Greece’s farmers. They are caught between systemic inefficiencies, global market pressures, and local crises, and their message is clear: immediate relief is needed, but long-term reforms are essential to protect the sector and secure the country’s agricultural future.
Ultimately, it’s the farmers who keep Greece on track.
Read
EU sees power market distortions in Greece (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
Greek government under fire for medical age testing of refugees (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
Pharmacists Outraged as Greece Stops Covering Flu Vaccine (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
Minced beef costs 50% more this year (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
Parliament ratifies mega-yacht marina concession for Corfu (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
Heavy rainfall causes serious damages in Kalloni, western Lesvos (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
“Hamburger challenge” sends young man intubated to ICU (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
Listen
Is a new political party on the horizon in Greece? (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
That’s all for this week; please forward this email to anyone you think might find it interesting and ask them to join our international community!
The AL team
Date
16/11/2025
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