Athens - China and Greece signed a 1-billion dollar port deal Tuesday in a bid to intensify cooperation in maritime shipping which and help gain access for Chinese products in the European Union.

The port deal signed between Chinese President Hu Jintao and Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis came as thousands of port workers protested through Athens in opposition of the agreement which they say will result in hundreds of layoffs.

The deal will see China's Cosco Pacific Ltd manage two container wharfs at the Greek capital's main port of Pireaus for 35 years.

In addition, the two sides signed a telecommunications agreement between Greek company OTE and Chinese Huawei as well as cooperation agreements between Greek state television ERT and Chinese television CCTV.

Besides investing in Greece's main port facilities, both countries also agreed to intensify cooperation in maritime shipping which will serve as an outlet for getting Chinese products access into the European Union and the Balkans.

"Maritime shipping is a strategic field of cooperation... Greek ports can become centers of transit for Chinese products in the direction the Eurpean Union and south-east Mediterranean," Karamanlis said at the end of Hu's three-day official visit.

Trade between the two countries reached 2.9 billion euros (3.6 billion dollars) last year, a rise of 52 per cent from 2006. China is now Greece's seventh-largest trading partner.

The Chinese president's trip to Greece follows a regional tour of South America, Central America and Cuba where he sealed trade and investment deals with Costa Rica, Cuba and Peru.

China told the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in Lima, Peru over the weekend that his government wants to help shore up worldwide growth and reform global financial rules. (dpa)