How Chinese investors quietly transformed Athens – one visa at a time
On the one hand, authentic Chinese restaurants – from spicy hotpot to Cantonese cha chaan teng – have sprung up in central Athens, where many patrons speak the northeastern Chinese dialect and work for
China Ocean Shipping Company , an industry giant managing Europe's fifth-largest port.
On the more discreet side, Chinese buyers have snapped up thousands of flats in a rush to apply for the Greek investor residency scheme, commonly known as the 'golden visa'.
In June 2025, nearly 8,000 Chinese citizens – 7,795 to be precise – were first-time members of the scheme, meaning they had not yet reached the five-year mark to renew their permits. That represents 47.8 per cent of all first-time permit holders, making them by far the largest group, according to data from the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum.
Among the 5,679 people who had renewed their golden visa, 61 per cent were also Chinese citizens, the ministry reported.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong taxis need to shift gear so that every cab is ‘premium'
Hong Kong's taxi industry is being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Moves to legitimise and regulate ride-hailing firms while improving services offered by cabbies are long overdue. But members of the influential taxi trade continue to push for privileges and block the path to progress. The government must take the handbrake off – and accelerate. Officials have had to go to extraordinary lengths to modernise the industry and lift standards. Taxis are to be required to offer at least two forms of digital payment and install cameras and devices to record their trips. There is a new disciplinary system and fleets of new 'premium' taxis have hit the streets. None of this should have been necessary. The taxi industry should have eagerly embraced technology and offered excellent service. That is the best way of competing with popular ride-hailing firms. The most important requirement is to guarantee passenger safety. The death of a tourist from the Philippines this month, knocked down by a 'dizzy' 80-year-old taxi driver, has renewed long-standing concerns about the roadworthiness of elderly cabbies.
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
‘Sentry drone' warning system to help ‘Hong Kong low-altitude economy fly high'
A new 'sentry drone ' system is expected to help Hong Kong's low-altitude economy fly high, providing early alerts about navigation signal interference to ensure flight safety and reduce accidents, the transport minister has said. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan offered the upbeat assessment in a post on her weekly blog on Saturday, saying she had recently taken a look at the system, developed by local company Aerovision Technology, which has applied for a Chinese patent covering Hong Kong. The 'Sentry Drone System for Early Alert of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Interference' uses innovative AI algorithms to patrol designated drone operating areas and provide warnings to operators to ensure flight safety. A GNSS is susceptible to interference such as jamming, spoofing – where malicious fake signals are transmitted to deceive a receiver – and certain solar effects, which may endanger flight safety and can lead to major accidents. 'We are confident that once this system successfully 'takes off', it will reduce safety risks associated with drone flights, allowing us to discuss lowering drone insurance premiums with the insurance industry, ultimately benefiting the entire low-altitude economy,' Chan said. Drone systems are susceptible to interference, which may endanger flight safety and can lead to accidents. Photo: Handout She said that the project overcame satellite navigation limitations and geographical challenges by deploying sentry drones as a vanguard for regular missions by unmanned aircraft.
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Family drama erupts as China mum sues daughter for US$680,000 over elder care dispute
A family drama has sparked intense debate on Chinese social media after a mother – who had given her daughter 4.9 million yuan (US$680,000) as compensation for quitting her job to care for her – sued her to reclaim the money following a heated dispute over unpaid rent. The case originated when the mother, surnamed Jin, whose age remains undisclosed, required help due to health issues. In 2021, she reached an agreement with her daughter, surnamed Lu, asking her to resign from her job in Guangzhou and return to Beijing. Details regarding Lu's job and salary in Guangzhou have not been disclosed. To compensate her daughter for her lost income, Jin agreed to transfer the entire 4.9 million yuan from the sale of her two-bedroom flat in Beijing's Xisanqi area to Lu. To compensate her daughter for lost income, Jin agreed to transfer the full amount of 4.9 million yuan from the sale of her two-bedroom flat in Beijing to Lu. Photo: Shutterstock The agreement was formally documented on December 21, 2023, in a written contract stating that Lu would cover all elder care expenses – including hospitalisation, medical bills, rent, and other reasonable living costs – until her mother's passing, as well as funeral expenses.
