Greek, Chinese officials expect to broaden cooperation in education

ATHENS, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Greece and China have the willingness to broaden cooperation in many fields, including education, Greek and Chinese officials, academics and business leaders told an online conference here on Wednesday.

"We look forward to broadening our cooperation in the future," said Evangelos Syrigos, Greek deputy minister of Education and Religious Affairs, at a forum hosted by the Athens Business Confucius Institute (BCI Athens).

Both China and Greece, linked with ties of strong friendship, are willing to further enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in education, among other sectors, said Wang Qiang, Charge d'Affaires Minister-Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Greece.

Greece is welcoming an increasing number of Chinese students in Greek universities in recent years, while many Greeks are learning the Chinese language, a key in understanding and advancing cooperation, Syrigos noted.

To date, the BCI Athens has given the opportunity to at least 3,000 Greek students to learn Chinese, said Alexandros Papalexandris, the institute's co-director.