Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) and Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos inspect the honor guard of Evzones, the Greek Presidential guards, outside the Presidential palace in Athens, Greece on Monday. President Xi is in Greece on a two-day state visit. Photo: AP

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Monday and visited China COSCO Shipping at Piraeus port during his state visit, while Chinese observers said that the latest goals that China and Greece reached through cooperation reflected high-level mutual trust between the two countries. 

President Xi's diplomatic thought which stressed cooperation and mutual respect between ancient civilizations could change the mentality of "clash of civilization theory" among the West, analysts said.

Xi's three-day state visit to Greece starting on Sunday to consolidate traditional friendship and strengthen cooperation between the two countries is the first by a Chinese head of state to the European nation in 11 years, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

"When drinking with a bosom friend, a thousand cups will still be too little," Xi said when meeting with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Monday, quoting a Chinese proverb.

It is because, Xi said, as two countries with ancient civilizations, China and Greece share common or similar visions and have achieved national modernization and development through arduous struggles, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The China-Greece friendship is not only the cooperation between two countries but also a dialogue between two great civilizations, he said.  

The two leaders agreed to contribute the wisdom of ancient Eastern and Western civilizations to building a community with a shared future for mankind, according to Xinhua. 

To that end, the two presidents agreed to consolidate political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation and promote dialogue among civilizations.

Stressing the importance of co-existence of different civilizations is a special characteristic of Chinese diplomacy at the new era, because it is providing a totally different view compared to "the clash of civilizations theory," which has huge influence among the conservative Western politicians, said Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University's Institute of International Relations in Beijing.

"In the past, many cases have showed   that Western countries used civilization as an excuse to legitimize their invasions or colonialism that tried to Westernize the non-Western world. Greek civilization is like a root of Western civilizations, and if we can find shared values and ideas in Chinese and Greek civilizations and even realize high-level mutual trust and cooperation, we may find the key to solving the clash of civilizations between the East and the West," he said.

Chinese experts noted that cooperation between China and Greece could be a successful example for the relationship between Western and Eastern countries.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who visited Shanghai and attended the China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2019, also met Xi in Athens on Monday.

"My recent visit to Shanghai and yours today have inaugurated a new era in our relations. Greece recognizes China as a great country and you should be proud of what you have achieved," he said on Monday, the Athens-Macedonia News Agency reported. 

The Bank of China will open up a branch in Athens in November, while the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) will open up a representative office soon after. 

The Chinese online platform Alibaba, with its 700-million-strong customer base, will also include Greek products on its site, Greek news website greekreporter.com reported.

Li said with the development of Piraeus port, not only the port operator China COSCO Shipping, but also many Chinese firms that have trade ties with Greece will need financial services, so the financial move is signaling the cooperation and mutual trust between the two countries has reached a new height.

Konstantinos Ntasios, sales director of international markets with Hellenic Dairies SA, a Greek company that participated in CIIE 2019, said that "the relationship between China and Greece is at the best level ever."

There are great Chinese investments in Greece. And there are Greek opportunities through tourism, shipping, food, agricultural trade, products trade in the Chinese market. I believe that the relationship can become stronger, because their people respect each other," Ntasios said.