ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang has visited Greece’s largest port of Piraeus as part of a three-day trip focusing on investment and trade deals with the financially stricken country.

Accompanied by his Greek counterpart, Antonis Samaras, Li visited Friday the facilities at Piraeus, where China’s Cosco has a concession to operate container terminals in one of the largest foreign investments in Greece. He later inaugurated a rail link that will transport goods from the Cosco terminal to central Europe.

Describing Piraeus as “one of the most competitive ports in the world,” Li said 80 percent of China’s import and export trade with Europe is done by sea, and that the use of Piraeus had reduced the average trip via the Suez Canal by between seven and 11 days.

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