Netanyahu: Israel and China are “Perfect Partners”

March 23, 2017

by: Ilse Posselt

Thursday, 23 March 2017 | Yesterday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned home to Israel after a three-day state visit to China. Netanyahu visited Beijing on invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

During a meeting recently between the two world leaders at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guest House, Netanyahu assured Xi that the Jewish state would serve as the “perfect partner” for China as the Asian nation seeks to develop its high-tech sector.

“We have always believed…that Israel can be a partner, a junior partner, but a perfect partner for China in the development of a variety of technologies that change the way we live, how long we live, how healthy we live, the water we drink, the food we eat—in every area,” Netanyahu said.

“In the coming days, we will sign a series of agreements with the government in order to promote collaboration between us and examine how we could assist China in its plans, and how China could of course allow us to participate in its large projects. I believe it is a match made in heaven,” the prime minister declared.

One of the main thrusts of the visit was strengthening economic and business ties between Israel and its primary Asian trade partner. More than 70 of the Jewish state’s top business leaders accompanied Netanyahu on his trip. The members of the business delegation hail from industries and companies currently active in China as well as from enterprises seeking to establish a foothold in the Chinese market. This marks the largest Israeli business delegation in history to visit Beijing.

Whereas the Jewish state has a free-trade agreement with America and the European Union, negotiations to hammer out a similar agreement between Jerusalem and Beijing only began last year. During Netanyahu’s trip, the two governments agreed to “hasten the establishment of a free-trade zone.” According to The Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu suggested that a fast track be put in place for Israeli and Chinese investors and even proposed a direct air link between Tel Aviv and Shanghai.

Deng Li, Director General of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s West Asian and North African Affairs Department, told the press during a briefing that Jerusalem and Beijing had agreed to hasten talks to establish a free-trade agreement. “Personally, I am very confident and optimistic about the future of this free-trade agreement,” Deng shared.

The trip also saw Netanyahu partake in a joint business-economic forum alongside some 600 Israeli and Chinese business leaders. Addressing the forum, the prime minister said, “There has been a dramatic change since my first visit to China more than 20 years ago. The streets were full of bicycles; there were very few cars and mostly old buildings. The tremendous power and progress China has made is palpable,” the prime minister shared. “During this period, Israel has not remained stagnant; it has become one of the leading centers of global innovation, a global technological powerhouse.”

Prior to the meeting, the two countries signed a number of bilateral agreements highlighting areas for increased cooperation in “air pollution control, waste management, environmental monitoring, water conservation and purification, as well as hi-tech fields.” Going forward, Jerusalem and Beijing also plan to establish “a global technology transfer center, innovation parks and an innovative cooperation center.”

The prime minister was quick to point out that he was particularly excited about the agreement on innovation. “We have signed many agreements, but I think…a comprehensive innovation partnership between China and Israel is a tremendously important decision, certainly for us in Israel, and I believe through our cooperation for China as well,” Netanyahu said.

“There are vast and rapid changes in technology which Israel excels in that we believe we could cooperate on,” the prime minister continued. “We know that you have great scientists, great industrialists, great capabilities, and we think that by working together we can make the future better for our peoples, but also I think for humanity as a whole.”

Netanyahu also met with his counterpart, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, on Monday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Hailing the Jewish state as a world leader in a number of technologies, Li proclaimed, “The Jewish and Chinese people are two of the world’s greatest nations.”

For his part, Netanyahu told Li that “[t]here is a great deal of convulsion in the world, including in our part of the world.” He expressed his hope that Israel and China could “cooperate together for the advancement of security, peace and stability and prosperity.”

A world superpower and one of the six nations that negotiated and signed the Iran nuclear deal in 2015, The Jerusalem Post speculates that China currently seeks to expand its role in the Middle East, specifically in terms of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Beijing made its intentions clear on Monday during a United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, saying, “The Palestinian issue is the key and the source of the Middle East issue.”

Posted on March 23, 2017

Source: (Bridges for Peace, 23 March 2017)

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