On November 12, 2019 local time, accompanied by President Prokopis Pavlopoulos of Greece and his wife, President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan visited the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

The exhibition hall glitters in the warm sunlight of the Mediterranean Sea through the glass curtain wall. The vivid sculptures of the ancient Greek mythological figures and architectures showcase beauty and strength, and tell the splendor of Greek classical art, displaying the long course of history and civilization.

The two couples listened attentively to the explanations. Xi Jinping, from time to time, stopped and asked questions. Prokopis Pavlopoulos explained in person on a whim.

Xi Jinping said, ancient Greek architectures and sculptures are treasures and outstanding representatives of Western civilization. Although China's artistic expression is different from Greek counterparts, China, as a representative of Eastern civilization, also has many artistic achievements that have a profound influence on later generations. China and Greece, both boasting abundant cultural heritages, can strengthen cooperation in the preservation and restoration of important historical and cultural heritages. Due to historical reasons, many precious cultural relics of both countries are still lost abroad. The two countries can enhance cooperation to bring them back to their home countries at an early date.

Xi Jinping stressed, today's tour has left a beautiful and memorable impression on me, and has also deepened my understanding of ancient Greek civilization. I feel the impact of history and further realize that China and Greece, two countries with ancient civilizations, have much in common. I would like to once again thank Mr. President, the Greek government and people for your warm hospitality. I think a lot during this visit, which is hard to describe in words. Together, we review the past, learn from the past, look toward the future, and decide that China and Greece should work more closely with each other to open up a better future. Particularly, the two sides should enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges, advocate dialogue among civilizations and make due contributions to promoting inclusiveness, mutual learning and harmonious co-existence among different civilizations and countries, boosting world peace and prosperity and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Prokopis Pavlopoulos said, President Xi Jinping's visit has opened up a new chapter in Greece-China relations. I have had in-depth and friendly dialogues and communication with President Xi Jinping in the past two days. Both Greece and China boast profound civilizations and our ancient, splendid and great civilizations have linked the two peoples closely with each other. On behalf of the Greek people, I sincerely thank you for understanding and respecting the Greek civilization and for seeing Greece as a bridge between Eastern and Western civilizations. Greece holds great respect for the time-honored Chinese civilization, admires China's achievements in modernization and appreciates the noble moral standards China has upheld on the international stage. If all countries uphold these standards, the road ahead of mankind will become broader and broader. For world peace and a brighter future for mankind, Greece and China need to strengthen communication and cooperation.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and others were present at above event.