MILAN, Italy — Premier Li Keqiang and his Greek counterpart, Antonis Samaras, met in Milan on Oct 16 and pledged to strengthen practical cooperation between their countries.

China-Greece cooperation has entered a new phase of development, and Beijing supports Chinese enterprises in participating in Greece’s privatization process, Li said in the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the 10th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit.

China stands ready to join hands with Greece to advance practical cooperation in an orderly manner in such areas as construction of ports and other infrastructure, oceanic affairs, shipping and finance, added the premier.

Li also appreciated Greece’s active role in promoting China-Europe relations during its tenure of the European Union presidency in the first half of this year.

For his part, Samaras recalled Li’s visit to his country in June, saying the trip has effectively promoted bilateral relations as well as the relations between Europe and China as a whole.

The Greek side welcomes Chinese enterprises’ active participation in Greece’s privatization process and stands ready to push forward bilateral cooperation projects such as the Piraeus port, he added.

Greece looks forward to enhancing cooperation with China in the areas of shipping, logistics, infrastructure construction and finance to promote Europe-Asia inter-connectivity, Greece-China ties as well as the relations between Europe and China, Samaras said.

Italy is the last stop of Li’s ongoing three-nation tour, which has taken him to Germany and Russia.

Premier Li Keqiang meets (2nd R) with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras (1st L) in Milan, Italy, Oct 16, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]