China’s State Grid, the world’s biggest utility, signed the purchase of a minority stake in Greece’s power grid operator ADMIE, China’s second big investment in the debt-laden country in a matter of months. ADMIE was fully owned by Greece’s state-owned power utility Public Power Corp (PPC). Shareholders of PPC cleared last month the €320 million sale of a 24% stake in the operator to State Grid. The deal comes after Greece sold earlier this year a 51% stake in its biggest port, Piraeus, to China’s biggest shipping company Cosco Shipping for €280.5 million. In a signing ceremony in Athens, State Grid said Greece was a market of strategic importance and its investment in ADMIE, Greece’s independent power transmission operator, would boost the company’s prospects. State Grid is also in talks to buy a Brazilian power distributor. “We made huge efforts, we overcame many difficulties to come to this historic moment,” said State Grid’s CEO Kou Wei. The Greek company is planning to expand its network to the Greek islands and outside Greece. ADMIE’s sale is part of Greece’s international bailout program.