On November 25, 2008, visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao and his wife Liu Yongqing bid farewell to Greek President Karolos Papoulias and his wife at the presidential residence in a friendly atmosphere.

Hu said his current visit to Greece, though very brief, left him a good impression. Athens' Acropolis reflects a long history and brilliant culture of Greece and also embodies diligence and wisdom of Greek people.

Papoulias said China's Great Wall and Athens' Acropolis are both witnesses of the two countries' long history. The glorious civilizations created by Greek and Chinese people are still influencing the contemporary fields of learning such as philosophy, astronomy and architecture, he added.

China and Greece, both boasting a time-honored history, have more reasons to join hands, not only in political and economic fields, but also in the cultural area, Hu said. Currently two Chinese universities have run Greek language courses and more and more Chinese young people have begun to learn Greek, said Hu. "I believe that the cultural exchanges will deepen the friendship between our two peoples and promote our comprehensive strategic partnership," Hu said.

Papoulias said it was "good news" that Chinese universities have set up Greek language courses and the Confucius Institutes in Greece will also offer good chances for the Greek people to know more about Chinese culture.

Hu said during the visit, he deeply felt the friendly sentiments held by the Greek government and people towards the Chinese people as well as their sincere aspiration for the development of bilateral friendly cooperative relations. He expressed belief that with the joint efforts of the two peoples, Sino-Greek relations will surely enjoy a bright future.

After the meeting, Hu attended a grand farewell ceremony held by Papoulias.

Accompanied by Papoulias and his wife, Hu and his wife later visited the venue of the first modern Olympic Games.

The first modern Olympic Games were held here from April 6 to 15, 1896. On March 30, 2008, the ceremony marking the handing over of the Olympic torch from Greek officials to organizers of the Beijing games was also held here.

While listening to the introduction with interest, Hu talked with Papoulias in a friendly atmosphere. Hu said one important gain of the 1.3 billion Chinese people after hosting the Beijing Olympic Games is that they know more about the Olympic spirit and the sportsmanship. Noting that he was pleased Greece and China have successfully hosted the first two Olympiads in the new century, Papoulias said he hoped the two events can further promote the cultural and sport exchanges between the two countries.

Ling Jihua, Wang Huning and Dai Bingguo attended the above activities.