Impact of Greek, Chinese civilizations is global, says official from Greece

Both Greek and Chinese civilizations have "a global impact," says Nektarios Farmakis, governor of Western Greece Region.

"It's not just European, Western or Eastern way of thinking," Farmakis told CGTN. "It's a global way."

Farmakis made the remarks in east China's Hangzhou during the Global Mayors Dialogue, where governors from around the world exchange views of city development.

To Farmakis, both the Greek and Chinese cultures standout on one thing: balance. He took the example of sustainable growth, a concept that calls for the balance between the development of human society and the protection of the environment.

"This is what both civilizations have. And of course, this is what they can cooperate on," Farmakis said.

The two countries have "huge opportunities" for cooperation, especially in areas like trading, tourism, research and innovation, he noted. "Both people are very keen on trading, with a vast trading history," he said.

China's experiences in fighting floods can be shared with Europe, where floods often take place, according to Farmakis. "That is why all these discussions around the world between local governments is very useful for us," he said. "We can take best practices for how we cope with floods ... and of course, we can give experience."

Farmakis also mentioned the cooperation chances in the fields of science and technology. "Research, innovation and new technologies are something we are very good (at) in the Region of Western Greece."

He added that he received the delegations from China's Fujian just last month and had "good conversations," one of which is the potential cooperation between the University of Petras and the Fujian University.

"Western Greece is among the regions with the most researchers per thousand population in Europe," he said. "We are very keen on research and innovation."

(Yang Xinmeng and Zhang Dian contributed to the story.)