Lydia Liang, Deputy Chief Editor of the Chinese newspaper Greece China Times which is published in Athens, has been in Greece for many years covering domestic developments. The elections of the 25 January 2015 constitutes another challenge for her work but she seems optimistic for the future of the country.
How do you see and understand political developments in Greece?
Greece is the birthplace of democracy, and also a modern democratic country, which political system is very mature. After many years of the debt crisis and the reforms carried out, either the Greek people or the Greek politicians have been more and more mature. I believe that no matter which political party will come to power after the election, it will be able to solve problems in a rational way, and continue to lead Greece out of the economic crisis.
How is your newspaper covering the pre-election period? Is there more interest now by the Chinese community in Greece?
From the end of December last year, Greece has failed to have a new president, and ahead of the national election of China Greece Times covered all the Greek news, including politics, economics and social oriented stories. Additionally, our newspaper and website provides to the readers the latest data of surveys conducted. Chinese readers are interested to know whether the new Greek government will be led by a leftist party, if they country continues austerity measure, and what will be the position of Greece in the eurozone.
What could China wish for Greece?
Greece’s location is excellent, connecting Asia, Europe and Africa, and as an important point in China “One Belt and One Road” project, China would like to see that Greece is stabilising and prosperous, and keep being the best gateway to Europe.
