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and amongst the champions, in twenty, thirty or forty years%u2019 time %u2014 in education, defence, healthcare, demographic policy or economic development. Where is such a vision, such a plan that will unite the people behind it? I, for one, have not seen it.China, however, defined long-term strategic goals and pursued them consistently and methodically. Greece is equally capable of achieving great things. This is not romanticism or utopian thinking. Hellenism possesses both the talent and the human capital to excel internationally, as demonstrated by the global success of Greek shipping. If it can be done on the seas, it can be done on land, too.Culturally, Japan and China differ considerably despite sharing certain historical roots. The Japanese are exceptionally disciplined, methodical and reliable. If a Japanese counterpart gives his word, one may trust that commitment. They may initially disagree with your approach, but if persuaded by sound reasoning, they will carefully implement what has been agreed.The Chinese operate differently. They are generally less receptive to external opinions. Nevertheless, our company%u2019s experience with China has been highly positive because we have always approached discussions with preparation, seriousness and informed arguments. In my experience, there are no problems that cannot ultimately be resolved through constructive cooperation.Today, China commands a dominant share of the global newbuilding market for commercial vessels. We recently placed an order for eight ships with a Sino-Japanese group and have already taken delivery of six. Japan continues to possess tremendous expertise, but China has advanced rapidly, and a few of its shipyards are steadily narrowing the gap. A similar process occurred earlier in South Korea, where shipyards initially lacked technical know-how but gradually acquired world-class capabilities.Beyond its industrial rise, China possesses immense cultural depth. During your long engagement with the country, have you identified points of connection between Greek and Chinese civilisation?China consists of fifty-six ethnic groups, yet despite its diversity, I believe the Chinese share certain characteristics with us Greeks. They, too, are heirs to an ancient civilisation; they value hospitality, they possess a strong commercial instinct, and they place great importance on the family as an institution. There is also profound respect in China for Greece and its civilisation.The Chinese name for Greece is %u201cXi-La%u201d %u2014 pronounced %u201cShi-La%u201d %u2014 while China itself is called Zhong-Guo, meaning the %u201cCentral Kingdom%u201d. In some southern dialects, Greece is pronounced %u201cHiLa%u201d, which may well derive from the word %u201cHellas%u201d. Whether the connection is linguistic or symbolic, the affinity is striking.Compared with the Japanese, I find the Chinese more outward-looking and approachable, in a way that resembles Mediterranean societies such as our own. The Japanese, by contrast, tend to be more reserved and formal. Also, women in China hold a significant role in the workplace and in business, a thing I have not observed in Japan.Historically, the links between Greece and China stretch back centuries. In Hellenistic times, there were commercial exchanges between the two civilisations, while Greek artistic influence extended eastward through Greco-Buddhist art into India, China, Korea and Japan. Later, Byzantium maintained intermittent diplomatic and commercial relations with China.Claudius Ptolemy, the great Greek Alexandrian geographer and mathematician of the second century AD, referred in his Geography to regions corresponding to present-day China, distinguishing between %u201cSerica%u201d in the north and %u201cSinae%u201d in the south. His work shaped geographical understanding for centuries and guided explorers, including Christopher Columbus, from late antiquity through the early 16th century. It was the equivalent of today%u2019s... Google Maps!In the 17th century AD, it was a Greek scholar and diplomat, Nicolas Spatharis, who was the first European to explore I have always regarded business not merely as a commercial activity,but also as a means to foster communicationand exchange ideas between peoplesand civilisations.Maritime tradition32 NX