Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working to build relations between China and Israel, two ancient nations dating back to antiquity. In a recent visit he focused on strengthening ties between these two great countries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently completed a tour of China designed to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries. While in China, he declared that “Israel admires China” and feels a connection to the Chinese people and civilization. Similarly, Chinese Ambassador to Israel Gao Yanping said that China and Israel have maintained close high-level contact in recent years, creating a good atmosphere for the growth of bilateral ties. The Chinese greatly admire what Israel has to offer. The famous Israeli singer Ahinoam Nini, who held a concert in China in 2011, wrote on her blog that “the Chinese love Israel more than any other people I have ever met.” It is hoped that Netanyahu’s visit will greatly boost ties between the two countries.
China is presently Israel’s third largest trading partner in Asia, with trade increases amounting to 200 times what they previously were, thus demonstrating that bilateral relations have greatly improved since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992. Additionally, one Chinese president has visited Israel, while three Israeli prime ministers have visited China. This was Netanyahu’s second diplomatic trip to China geared to further improve Chinese-Israeli relations.
As the Chinese Ambassador to Israel, Gao Yanping, wrote, “As a ‘start-up nation,’ Israel has much to share and cooperate with China. If we work hand-in-hand, and combine our respective advantages, we will enjoy common development and win-win results. I am pleased to note reports Prime Minister Netanyahu has called on the Israeli ministers to fly to China as much as possible. I really appreciate his vision. I am ready to work with the Israeli side to promote the bilateral cooperation in various fields.”
She continued, “With the interdependence between countries deepening in the globalized world, China and Israel have a shared destiny. The closer our cooperation is, the more benefits will accrue for both our peoples, and the more contributions we will be able to make to regional stability, world peace and global prosperity. I am fully convinced that with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to China, a brighter future for our friendship and cooperation will be ushered in.”
Netanyahu’s spokesmen, Mark Regev, declared regarding Prime Minister Netanyahu’s trip to China, “We hope to use the visit as a vehicle to further strengthen the bilateral relations between Israel and China, to strengthen our economic cooperation. Ultimately, Israel is a world center for science and technology; we are in many ways the center of innovation when it comes to hi-tech, whether it’s agricultural technology or communication technology. We believe the potential is there for much stronger, much more robust and much larger cooperation between Israel and China.” He concluded that increased cooperation between Israel and China will “have tangible benefits for both our people.”
By Rachel Avraham