Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos to Beijing Tuesday. Pavlopoulos is on a five-day state visit, in which he'll attend the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations. CGTN's Wu Guoxiu reports from the Great Hall of People.

Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos at Beijing's Great Hall of the People Tuesday, on the eve of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations. The countries, both longtime friends, hope the event ushers in a new beginning.

GENG SHUANG CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON "China and Greece's relationship sets an example of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation between countries different in system, and in culture."

Pavlopoulos's visit comes just after he told media that the "clash of civilizations" argument is a huge mistake, sentiments echoed by China's Foreign Ministry.

GENG SHUANG CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON "We highly endorse and applaud Pavlopoulos's remarks. Countries should champion the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness between civilizations and reject the misguided and wrong belief of a 'clash of civilizations' or the superiority of one society over others."

Pavlopoulos says China and Greece, as two important ancient civilizations, can play important roles in promoting dialogue between societies. Last month, Greece became the 17th European member of the Cooperation of China and Central and Eastern European countries, also known as the "16+1" mechanism. The country was also the first EU member to join the Belt and Road Initiative. And Greek's Piraeus Port is a flagship joint project under the initiative. All steps on a continuous journey toward friendship and bridging cultures. Wu Guoxiu, CGTN, Beijing.