When President Xi Jinping and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met in Beijing in May, the Greek city of Piraeus came up during their discussions.

According to media reports, Xi told Tsipras that the two countries should work together to build Piraeus into a container-transfer hub for the Mediterranean. Xi said he hoped to see the city become a key location for transportation and an international logistics center to support China's overland and sea links with Europe through the Belt and Road Initiative.

"The goals of the initiative are compatible with our own regional economic goals," Tsipras said in a speech at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing on May 14 and 15.