Georgios Iliopoulos at the opening ceremony of an exhibition featuring photos of the first modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896, housed at the Beijing World Art Museum in Beijing, on Oct. 27, 2021, the 100-day countdown to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. [Photo/visual.people.cn] 

On June 5, Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Both China and Greece are ancient civilizations. For half a century, the two countries have gotten along well with each other through dialogues and cooperation, and exhibited broad prospects for win-win cooperation. Recently, Liu Xian, deputy secretary-general of Taihe Institute, invited by China News Release, had an exclusive interview with Georgios Iliopoulos, Greek ambassador to China.

LIU XIAN: During the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, did you enter the venue to watch the games? What surprised you most about this great event?

GEORGIOS ILIOPOULOS: I didn't watch the games as a spectator at one of the wonderful venues, but I had the opportunity to attend the opening ceremony. I have to say I was impressed by its choreography and artistic direction. What surprised me even more was the choir of the 44 children who sang the Olympic Anthem in Greek. Another memorable experience was my participation in the Beijing 2022 Olympic torch relay. Coming from Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games and home of the Olympic flame, I felt honored and excited to carry the torch in China's capital city.