The Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras met with the President of China Xi Jinping in Beijing and heralded the new ‘glorious period’ of cooperation between the two countries.

PM Tsipras underlined that in a complicated and difficult moment for the global economy, as well as introversion for the West, China’s vision of a ‘one belt, one road’ connection between Asia and Europe boosts the prospects for world people and growth.

The Chinese President responded that he was greatly impressed by the Greek Prime Minister’s commitment towards further developing bilateral relations and noted that the agreement for the port of Piraeus will be the start for closer ties.

Prior to the meeting, the Greek PM visited the Forbidden City in Beijing and later attended the inauguration of a laboratory jointly-operated by the Institute of Research in Crete with China’s Institute of Technology. The jointly-operated lab is using lasers to restore monuments in the Forbidden City.