Opinion

Greek citizens hail Chinese president's US visit

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-01-19 11:28

ATHENS - Greek citizens are viewing Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to the United States, which will last from Tuesday to Friday, as an opportunity to build a better future for the whole world.

Spyridoula Karagiorgou, who called herself a "humble accountant" inspired by ancient Greek wisdom, said "strength lies in unity."

"China and the United States can certainly cooperate more. Without frictions, they can play a leading role to address threats of nuclear weapons or environmental destruction and build a better future of peace and prosperity for all our children," she said.

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"If we want this world to grow stronger and better in the 21st century, we should definitely forget about issues which divide us, focus on the points which connect us, and work together to face challenges, such as the global economic crisis, climate change or terrorism," the 39-year-old accountant said.

"Whether we like it or not, this is an era of globalization. My fate is more intertwined than ever with the fate of my brothers in Chicago or Shanghai and my sisters in Vienna or Melbourne. We all need leaders with realism and vision to show us the way," she said.

Differences between the United States and China, the biggest developed and developing countries in the world, over currency policies and trade barriers should be resolved through compromise and respect, Karagiorgou said.

The newly-married accountant, who is expecting her first baby this year, just returned from a family vacation in New York. She has visited the United States many times.

"I know a couple of things about the United States. I have witnessed the change the Obama administration promised. I think change is possible also for China-US ties in the benefit of the whole world," Karagiorgou said.

Giannis Koutsokelakis, a middle-aged trucker from the southern Greek island of Crete, was keen to express his views on the change China is bringing to the world.

Koutsokelakis lives in a central Athens suburb, where there are a lot of Chinese immigrants.

"I have met many Chinese. They are hard-working and willing to learn new things and collaborating to achieve progress for them and their partners. Even my children have heard of the will of China to help Greece and the world overcome the economic crisis," he told Xinhua.