Joint building of Belt and Road the common opportunity for China, Greece

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Europe

01:50

Both China and Greece regard the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a common opportunity for the two countries, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks on Monday while meeting his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias in Beijing.

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) and Greece's Foreign Minister Nikolaos Kotzias take part in a signing ceremony in Beijing on August 27, 2018. /VCG Photo

The two ministers also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the initiative, which made Greece the first developed country to have done so.

The Belt and Road Initiative is for both developing and developed countries, Wang said, adding that the agreement made between China and Greece will open up a broader and brighter future for the two's cooperation.

"China sticks to openness and inclusiveness in building Belt and Road, not forming a clique, no high criteria, no black casework. Developed or developing countries are both equal partners in the construction of the Belt and Road. Especially as unilateralism and protectionism are rising, building the Belt and Road itself is a sign of commitment to multilateralism," highlighted Wang.

Rows of colored shipping containers stand on the quayside at Port Piraeus in Greece on July 14, 2015. /VCG Photo

Greece, an important interchange point of the Silk Road on land and sea, naturally becomes a natural partner of the BRI cooperation, he said.

In recent years, the interconnection and cooperation between China and Greece have achieved important early harvests. Wang noted, "The cooperation with Port Piraeus program is an example."

With its 55 sea lanes, the port helps BRI countries expand their reach into the Mediterranean and to other countries around the world.

On the China-EU strategic cooperation, Wang said China is willing to deepen the BRI with the European Investment Plan and the European Interconnection Program to promote more third-party collaboration and explore new ways of multi-party co-financing.

He also believed that the joint construction of the initiative will definitely become a new growth point for China and EU cooperation.

Kotzias echoed Wang's stance that Greece will cooperate with China more on politics, economy, and culture.

"I think the most important thing is that we are two countries with a mutual trust of each other, we are working together with confidence. The second is economy, we have a lot to learn from China," he added.

(CGTN's Wu Guoxiu also contributed to the story.)