"Under COSCO's management, Piraeus has become one of the fastest-growing ports in Europe," Venizelos said.

China and Greece also enjoy extensive cooperation in shipping. More than half of China's oil and raw materials imports are carried by Greek-owned vessels, he said.

During Premier Li's visit, a number of bilateral agreements will be signed, including a Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Cooperation which concerns the protection of marine environment and issues related to the Law of the Sea, according to him.

Those are global issues in which Greece and China, as global shipping giants, can play a decisive role and the cooperation would benefit the international community as a whole, the Greek official said

"So, the visit will certainly impart additional momentum to our strategic partnership," he said.

As Greece sees itself as an "ambassador" for China in the European Union, the deputy prime minister said there is vast potential for EU-Chinese economic cooperation.

China is by far the number one source of EU imports and is also a fast-growing market for European exports. EU-China trade transactions come in at over one billion euros per day, he noted.

"We need to continue to work with China, on the level of the EU, to bring down barriers and improve European access to the Chinese market, thus tapping into the truly vast potential for mutual investments," he said.

In regard to bilateral cooperation in terms of international affairs, Venizelos noted that Greece is very grateful for China's consistent stance on the Cyprus issue and keeps consultations with China within the framework of the U.N and various EU-China meetings.

He also expressed his content with the increasing number of Chinese visitors each year to his country, where tourism is among the main pillars of the economy.

The rising number of visits from Chinese tourists not only bolsters the Greek economy, but is also -- together with the increasing number of visits to China by Greek tourists and entrepreneurs -- strengthening the bonds between the two ancient and illustrious cultures, he said.

"I would like to convey to the Chinese people a message of real friendship from the people of Greece," the Greek official concluded.