After the ‘happy ending’ to the COSCO deal controversy, which threatened to destabilise the Greco-Chinese relations, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras is scheduled to depart for China, Friday, on an official 5-day visit in an effort to bolster investments in Greece. Tsipras will be accompanied by a large delegation, including half of his cabinet’s Ministers and a large group of Greek businesspeople with the hope to return with tangible deals that will boost the faltering Greek economy. The bilateral talks are expected to focus primarily on possible cooperation in the fields of transport, tourism, education and culture. The Greek delegation will leave on Friday at 5pm.

Meanwhile, the Greek PM stressed the need for the creation of a common front in Europe to replace austerity with a growth agenda, during talks with German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, Thursday.

Tsipras sees the recent Brexit and its repercussions as an opportunity to push for a ‘new European deal’, arguing the outcome of the British referendum should act as a wake up call to choose a path in Europe that will place greater emphasis on adopting policies that promote more social cohesion across the continent. To this end, the Greek PM is preparing to undertake initiatives for the creation of a political and geographical bloc in the south of Europe and other like minded parties, with French President Francois Hollande backing his efforts in an interview to French newspaper ‘Echos’. Tsipras believes there is room for the socialists and the left in Europe to converge and put forward a ‘social agenda’ in opposition to the forces of austerity and the extreme right that is on the rise.