Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan visit the Acropolis Museum accompanied by Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and his wife Vlassia Pavlopoulou-Peltsemi in Athens, Greece, Nov. 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
"We are confident that the collaboration will be beneficial for both nations," said George Vernicos, president of the Economic and Social Council of Greece.
ATHENS, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Greece has opened up more promising prospects for the two countries' friendship and win-win cooperation, said Greek officials and observers.
During Xi's three-day visit, which concluded on Tuesday, China and Greece reiterated their willingness to further advance their comprehensive strategic partnership for the benefit of their people and the world at large.
"I believe that the relations between the two countries have been strengthened lately," said Giorgos Patoulis, regional governor of Attica, which is home to the Piraeus Port, a successful example of bilateral cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
He added that he believes the two sides can also expand cooperation in such fields as energy, electromobility, culture and health tourism, in order to "connect the two civilizations of the East and West."
Photo taken on Nov. 7, 2019 shows the Piraeus Port in Greece. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua)
To George Vernicos, president of the Economic and Social Council of Greece, Xi's visit marked a further strengthening of the Greece-China partnership, which is "linked traditionally to the deep friendship of the two peoples, their ancient civilizations, the shipping industry, and the commercial and tourist relations that we have today."
"We are confident that the collaboration will be beneficial for both nations," he added.
Vasilis Trigkas, a research fellow with the Belt and Road Strategy Institute of China's Tsinghua University, focused on bilateral cooperation in the technological sector, noting that China's success in technological innovation can remarkably interest Greece.
A technological park could be a starting point for the development of China-Greece cooperation in the technological field, Trigkas suggested.
Loukas Tsoukalis, president of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, one of the top think tanks in Greece, noted how warmly that Greece welcomed the Chinese president.
Greece, as a member of the European Union, upholds multilateralism in diplomacy, he said, adding that his country is keen on promoting its relations with China after the Asian country supported Greece during the economic crisis.
"We have recent instances of the countries helping each other in times of need, and I am sure that this will continue in the future," Tsoukalis stressed. ■
