Greece's Deputy Foreign Minister Spyros Kouvelis is in Beijing to attend the inauguration of direct flights between Athens and Beijing via Munich.

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Spyros Kouvelis

Direct flights will bolster bilateral cooperation and open a new era in Greek-Chinese relations, Kouvelis told China.org.cn by email.

He said the flights will make leisure travel, business activity, cultural exchange easier, faster, and more efficient.

Direct flights will make Greece more accessible to Chinese tourists who want to visit the country, Kouvelis said.

In 2010, 15,000 Chinese visited Greece, a 75 percent increase over 2009. 2011 is likely to see further growth as there has been a 15 percent increase in demand for visas over 2010.

Kouvelis signed a joint statement on visa facilitation with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister?Song Tao?on Monday in Beijing.

The joint statement paves the way for closer cooperation on the economy, tourism, culture and science, the Greek Embassy in Beijing said in a press release.

"The world financial crisis and adverse economic circumstances will not affect the economic relations between Greece and China," Kouvelis said.

The economic crisis currently affecting Greece is an opportunity for the country to complete bold structural changes, he added.

"Greece sees great momentum in the further cooperation with China, while the growth rates of the Chinese economy present an opportunity with huge potential for both the Greek and the Chinese markets," he said.

He expressed the hope that Greek and Chinese entrepreneurship will enhance cooperation in transportation, IT, communications, infrastructure, renewable energy, and agriculture. "We already have the Chinese shipping giant COSCO operating within the port of Athens, Piraeus authority," he added.

Greek small and medium businesses (SME) are also encouraged to reach out to China so as to fuel the Greek economy and introduce Greek products and services to China, Kouvelis said.