Tsipras lauds China ties in buildup to Beijing trip

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who is due to visit Beijing on May 14 and 15, met in Athens on Thursday with Liu Qibao, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo.

"Cooperation on cultural issues is the foundation for building economic and trade cooperation," Tsipras told the visiting official, who is responsible for culture issues in events marking the start of Greece-China Year 2017. "We are both proud of our ancient civilizations, especially because their impact continues to be felt," he added.

"There is currently a very good momentum for economic and cultural cooperation between our countries," said Liu, who added that the conference on ancient cultures held last week could "mark the beginning of very interesting things."

During his visit to China, Tsipras will take part in a forum on the modern Silk Road and have meetings with Chinese President Xi...