At present, it is especially
important to guard against and prevent the attempts of some individual country
to challenge the one-China principle and undermine the political mutual trust
between China and Europe, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister
Wang Yi during his European tour.
ATHENS, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Greece is an
important partner in building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China is
willing to continue its effort with Greece to build a high-quality BRI,
visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Greek
counterpart Nikos Dendias here on Wednesday.
Wang said that Greece is the first stop of
his visit to Europe, showing that China attaches great importance to Sino-Greek
relations.
Since the establishment of diplomatic ties,
China and Greece have always adhered to the historical perspective, followed
the trend of the times and respected, understood, trusted and supported each
other, setting a good example for exchanges between different countries and
civilizations, Wang said.
The two sides should continue to support each other's core interests and major concerns, further deepen practical cooperation in all areas and push for new progress in China-Greece comprehensive strategic partnership, he noted.
Chinese employees Ma Liang (R) and Zhang Baohua inspect
the ship repair work at the Ship Repair Zone in the Piraeus port, Greece, Feb.
3, 2021. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
The Chinese foreign minister said that
China is pleased to see that the Piraeus Port project, a symbol of bilateral
cooperation and a flagship project of the BRI, is moving forward smoothly,
boosting significantly Greece's development.
China is ready to work with Greece to build
Piraeus into a world-class port, he said, calling for the two sides to expand
BRI cooperation in key areas and increase mutual investment.
China welcomes Greek enterprises to
actively participate in the China International Import Expo and hopes Greece
will continue to provide an open and fair market environment for Chinese
enterprises, added Wang.
Dendias said that Greece will implement key
cooperation projects under the BRI and looks forward to further expanding
economy, trade, energy, maritime and shipbuilding cooperation with China.
Greece believes that China's future is
unlimited, said Dendias, adding that Greece is full of confidence in the development
of bilateral relations.
Noting that China and Greece share many
common development concepts, Wang invited Greece to actively participate in the
Global Development Initiative put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping,
which according to Dendias is valued and applauded by the Greek side.
Wang also called on the two countries to
jointly contribute to accelerating the implementation of the United Nations'
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Dendias said that Greek-China relations
have become stronger in the joint fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, and
Greece is ready to continue supporting each other and strengthening
communication and coordination with China on international and multilateral
affairs.
Dendias also briefed Wang on the flame-lighting
ceremony for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and said that Greece was proud to
work with China on the Piraeus Port project.
The two sides agreed to strengthen
exchanges at the regional and provincial levels with the launching of the
China-Greece Year of Culture and Tourism in September this year.
Wang said that China and the European Union
(EU) are partners, not rivals. They are collaborators, not competitors. China
always supports the EU in its development, integration process and enhancing
strategic autonomy.
China and the EU should respect each other,
conduct exchanges on an equal footing, enhance understanding and manage
differences, Wang stressed.
At present, it is especially important to
guard against and prevent the attempts of some individual country to challenge
the one-China principle and undermine the political mutual trust between China
and Europe, he continued.
Dendias agreed with this, adding that
EU-China cooperation enjoys broad prospects and will help the EU to become an
independent and strong international power.
The two sides also exchanged views on
Afghanistan, the eastern Mediterranean, Libya and other issues of common
concern.
