Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on August 28, 2018

　问：我们注意到，昨天王毅国务委员兼外长会见来华访问的希腊外长科齐阿斯时，双方签署了两国政府间共建“一带一路”合作谅解备忘录，希腊成为与中方签订此类备忘录的首个欧洲发达国家。你认为中希推进共建“一带一路”有何特别重要意义？ 

　　答：昨天，王毅国务委员与希腊外长科齐阿斯签署中希政府间共建“一带一路”合作谅解备忘录，这对中希两国关系以及“一带一路”合作都具有积极意义。正如王毅国务委员在会谈后共见记者时所指出的，中希共同签署“一带一路”合作谅解备忘录，好比为中希关系安装上新的大功率发动机，必将为中希务实合作注入强劲和持久的动力，共建“一带一路”也一定会成为中欧战略合作新的增长点。 

Q: We noted that when State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with visiting Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias yesterday, the two sides signed a MOU on the cooperation under the Belt and Road, making Greece the first developed country in Europe to sign such MOU. How do you think of the significance of China and Greece bolstering their cooperation under the Belt and Road? 

A: State Councilor Wang Yi and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias signed an inter-governmental MOU on Belt and Road cooperation yesterday, which is of positive significance to the bilateral relations between China and Greece and the cooperation under the Belt and Road. Just as State Councilor Wang Yi pointed out when meeting the press after their bilateral talks, the signing of the MOU on the cooperation under the Belt and Road could serve as a new high-power engine for China-Greece relations, which will inject strong and lasting impetus into practical cooperation between the two countries. The joint building of the Belt and Road will certainly become a new growth point for China-EU strategic cooperation. 

　　希腊是陆上和海上丝绸之路的重要交汇点，自然成为共建“一带一路”的天然合作伙伴。近年来，中希两国的互联互通合作取得重要早期收获，比雷埃夫斯港的合作就是一个范例。目前比港的全球排名已从2010年的第93位跃升至第36位。以比港为枢纽的55条海运航线，辐射地中海周边地区并连接世界各大洲。每周从比港发往中东欧的集装箱铁路班列达16至18班。比港项目对希直接经济贡献已超6亿欧元，创造就业岗位1万多个。 

　　从更广的范围看，亚欧大陆是“一带一路”建设的重点地区。特别是在当前单边主义和保护主义抬头的背景下，共建“一带一路”本身就是坚持多边主义的重要标志，也是对改革完善全球治理、推进贸易投资自由化便利化的有益探索。中国和希腊等欧洲国家加强“一带一路”合作，将“一带一路”倡议同欧洲投资计划和欧洲互联互通计划深度对接，将亚洲经济圈与欧洲经济圈连接起来，将有助于实现亚欧各国更好优势互补，加快亚欧大陆的互联互通，为亚欧各国实现共同发展开拓更加广阔的新的合作空间。 

Greece makes a natural partner for cooperation under the Belt and Road as it is an important converging point of the overland and the maritime silkroads. In recent years, the cooperation on connectivity between China and Greece has achieved early harvests, which is epitomized by the Port of Piraeus. The global ranking of this port has been elevated to 36 from 93 in 2010. The 55 shipping lines with the port as their hub cover the neighboring region of the Mediterranean and connect continents around the world. There are 16 to 18 container freight trains bound to the Central and Eastern Europe from the port every week. The Port of Piraeus has directly contributed over 600 million euros to Greece's economy and generated more than 10,000 jobs. 

On a broader scale, the Eurasia continent is a key region for the development of the Belt and Road. In particular, against the backdrop of the rise of unilateralism and protectionism, the joint building of the Belt and Road stands as an important symbol of commitment to multilateralism and a useful exploration of reforming and improving global governance and advancing trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. Through strengthened cooperation under the Belt and Road between China and Greece and other European countries, the Belt and Road Initiative will be synergized with the Investment Plan for Europe and the European connectivity plan in an in-depth manner, linking the Asian and European economic circles. This is conducive to better leveraging the competitive strengths of European and Asian countries, accelerating the interconnectivity on the Eurasia continent and creating new room for Asian and European countries to seek common development through cooperation.