Visiting Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo said on Tuesday that
China and Greece should further deepen their economic and trade
cooperation.
Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National
People's Congress (NPC), made the call in a speech at the opening
ceremony of Sino-Greek Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum in
Athens.
Both China and Greece boast ancient civilizations, Wu said,
adding that although separated by mountains and water, the two
peoples had developed their friendship over centuries.
"Bilateral political ties have been strengthened continuously on
the basis of equality, mutual respect and benefit since the
establishment of diplomatic ties 34 years ago," said China's top
legislator.
With increasingly brisk exchanges between the two sides,
Sino-Greek relations have embraced the prime time to work together,
he added.
Wu said Sino-Greek trade had topped US$500 million in 2000 and
reached US$2.02 billion last year. There are 58 ongoing projects
with Greece's direct investment in China, and the project contracts
signed between the two countries have amounted to a value of US$290
million.
In the speech, the top Chinese legislator made a three-point
proposal on how to deepen Sino-Greek economic and trade
cooperation.
Deepening cooperation in traditional areas
China and Greece have laid a sound foundation for their
cooperation in such traditional areas as shipping and
ship-building, which complement one another, Wu said.
He said Greece was a globally important shipping hub with the
largest merchant fleet, while China was the third largest country
of trade in the world and the third largest ship-building nation
with abundant human resources.
"The two sides should carry out strategic cooperation in the
fields of shipping, ship-building, harbor construction, and develop
a long-term and stable partnership for mutual benefit and win-win
results," Wu said.
China welcomes Greek enterprises with substantial strength to
invest in China's ship-building and vessel reparation projects, and
to support capable Chinese enterprises to make investment in Greek
harbor and port construction, Wu said.
Expanding cooperation in new areas
The top legislator also urged China and Greece to cooperate in
new fields like tourism and the Olympic Games.
He said Greece had rich experiences in the development of
tourism which is its traditional industry, while China is the
world's largest source of tourists and the biggest potential
tourism market.
Beijing will host the 2008 Olympic Games while Greece, the host
of 2004 Olympic Games and the birthplace of the sports event, has
unique characteristics in hosting the contest and developing an
Olympic-related economy, he added.
"The two countries are mutually complementary in cooperation in
tourism and the Olympic Games," Wu said, adding that huge
potentials were yet to be tapped into in terms of business
opportunities and enhancement of economic cooperation.
The top legislator called on related departments and enterprises
of the two nations to grasp opportunities and seek more cooperative
ways in the fields of tourism and the Olympic Games.
Strengthening cooperation between enterprises
In addition, Wu called for a fully active relationship between
the two countries' enterprises in bilateral trade cooperation.
He said enterprises were the mainstay of both market activities
and bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
"The two countries should take strengthening enterprises'
cooperation as a priority in deepening Sino-Greek trade cooperation
and encourage competitive and capable enterprises to make
investment and economic technological cooperation of all kinds," Wu
said.
The governments of China and Greece should make concerted
efforts to continue to push for better facilitation of bilateral
trade and investment, and create more favorable conditions and
encourage further backing for mutually beneficial cooperation
between the enterprises of the two countries, added the top
legislator.
More than 600 officials and business people of the two countries
attended the forum's opening ceremony.
Wu arrived here on Monday for his first four-day official visit
to Greece, the third leg of his four-nation tour, which will next
take him to Russia. He has already visited Romania and Moldova.
(Xinhua News Agency May 24, 2006)
