China, Greece eye further Belt and Road cooperation via Piraeus port

BEIJING, July 5, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Beijing, capital of China, July 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)

BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- China and Greece vowed Tuesday to well implement the Piraeus port project and make it an important support for their bilateral cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative.

The pledge came as Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the Great Hall of the People.

"China hopes to work with Greece to build the port into the biggest transshipment port of containers in the Mediterranean, the bridgehead of land-ocean transportation, and a support for Belt and Road Initiative cooperation to mobilize the two countries' cooperation in broader areas,"

Xi told Tsipras.

Tsipras said Greece is ready to integrate its development strategy with China's Belt and Road Initiative, and play its role as a hub between the west and the east in areas such as energy and transportation.

Greece will work with China to cement bilateral cooperation on the basis of the Piraeus port project, said Tsipras.

Tsipras' China visit, the first since he took office in 2015, coincides with the 10th anniversary of the establishment of China-Greece comprehensive strategic partnership.

China would like to see Europe play an active role in international affairs, and also hopes to see a prosperous and stable EU as well as Britain, Xi said.

Also on Tuesday, China and Greece issued a joint statement on their comprehensive strategic partnership, saying that the two countries agree to enhance economic and trade cooperation and a joint committee on commerce and trade will meet in Beijing and Athens in turn.

China welcomes Greece to join the 16+1 cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries as an observer, said the statement.

China and Greece also plan to enhance cooperation on cultural heritage, archaeology, science and education, said the statement.

Tsipras kicked off his five-day official visit to China on Saturday. He will leave for home after visiting the eastern economic hub of Shanghai on Wednesday.