On November 25, 2008, Chinese President Hu Jintao met in Athens with Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

During the meeting, Hu said the establishment of Sino-Greek comprehensive strategic partnership in 2006 marked that bilateral ties entered a new stage of development. The two countries have trusted and supported each other in the political field and kept close coordination and friendly cooperation in international and regional affairs. The trade cooperation between the two sides has also scored new achievements with dynamic investment and technological cooperation and new progress made in marine transportation and tourism collaboration. The two sides have conducted colorful humanities exchanges, said Hu, pointing to the "Year of Greek Culture" and Chinese cultural activities. These events helped deepen mutual understanding and friendship between both peoples, he added.

The Chinese government has attached great importance to its relations with Greece and has been viewing the bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, Hu said. China is ready to work with Greece to seize the opportunity and continuously expand their common interests to push the ties to a higher level. Hu proposed the following three priority areas for advancing bilateral ties at present and in the near future. First, actively expand economic and trade cooperation. He suggested that the two sides set up a guideline for long-term economic cooperation and establish a more effective communication platform for enterprises of both sides. He said that the Chinese government supports competent Chinese enterprises to invest in Greece and carry out mutually beneficial cooperation on communications, energy, environmental protection, tourism and islands development. Second, give priority to cooperation on marine transportation. While enhancing cooperation on ship repairing and making and shipping, both sides should seize the good opportunity to discuss the possibility of building an integrated marine transportation cooperation system and extend bilateral cooperation to cover other fields including infrastructure, investment, finance and port administration. Third, devote major efforts to strengthening cultural cooperation. Both sides should continue to carry out the cultural exchange implementation program for 2007-2010. The two sides should enhance cooperation in language teaching, the protection of cultural relics, the press and publication, said the Chinese president. Efforts should also be made to build Confucius Institutes, to advance academic and personnel exchanges and the exchange of young students, and to explore cooperation potential in traditional medicine, disaster prevention and relief, as well as in social development, the Chinese president said.

Karamanlis said significant progress has been achieved in the Greek-Chinese ties after the two nations formed the comprehensive strategic partnership in 2006. Bilateral trade cooperation has enjoyed continuous development, he said. "The cooperation documents signed today by both sides are of great significance, which will become a milestone in the development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation," he said. He echoed Hu by saying that the two sides should enhance cooperation in marine transportation and tourism. Greece hopes to become a gateway of Chinese commodities into the region and welcomes Chinese people to visit the country, he said. He also urged both sides to carry out cooperation on direct flight and increase people-to-people contacts. The two sides should also keep closer cooperation within international organizations as the world is faced with major challenges like the current financial crisis, the Greek prime minister said.

The two leaders also discussed Sino-European relations. China-Europe all-round mutually beneficial cooperation at multiple levels has been deepened after three decades of development, said Hu. Under the current complex and changing international situation, China-Europe relations have been more than bilateral ties and are of greater global significance. China is willing to work with its European partners to properly handle major issues of common concern and resolve differences in an effort to strengthen strategic mutual trust, push forward cooperation in all areas and ensure the healthy, stable growth of the Sino-European comprehensive strategic partnership in the long run, Hu said. He added that China appreciates the endeavor and contribution by Greece to the development of Sino-European ties and hoped the Greek side will play a more active role in the future.

For his part, Karamanlis said Europe-China relations are being strengthened and the European Union has remained China's largest trading partner in successive years. The close cooperation between the EU and China is vital to both sides. He pledged that Greece will continue its active efforts in boosting Europe-China all-round strategic partnership.

Following the meeting, Hu and Karamanlis attended a signing ceremony of a range of cooperation documents on ports, telecom and broadcasting. Later they jointly met the press.

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