The collaboration in the Piraeus port project is a prime example of the development of China-Greece relations, Premier Li Keqiang said in a letter congratulating the expansion of a container terminal in the city, Xinhua News Agency reported on Jan 23.

The expansion project will be carried out by China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), the company that built the terminal. The launch ceremony of the project was held in Piraeus on Jan 22.

Li said he hoped that China and Greece work together to build Piraeus into a leading port in the Mediterranean, thus speeding up the development of a land-sea express passage across Central Europe.

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who attended the launch ceremony, said that COSCO’s investment in the Port of Piraeus has become a leading example of Greece’s effort to attract foreign investment, and the project has created many jobs and benefited the Greek economy.