Israel, China to see stronger cooperation
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Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon left for China on Monday, and is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart Zhai Jun, other senior officials and experts, in a bid to solidify bilateral and commercial ties between the two countries, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Ayalon told Xinhua in an exclusive interview before leaving that ties between Israel and China, which is about to celebrate its 18th anniversary, is "excellent." He added "We can learn a lot from China."
Ayalon, who is to kick off his second tour of China, said "both societies admire and respect traditions, and are very long and ancient civilizations. This, together with the current interest in globalization, of an explosion of technology, the synergy between the economies put China and Israel on a very, very good track."
China is Israel's third largest trading partner after the United States and India, and according to latest figures from Israel's Export and International Cooperation Institute, the Jewish state exported some 755 million U.S. dollars worth of goods to China in the first half of 2010.
"We can also cooperate a lot in science, in trade and commerce and in many, many things that we're already cooperating, we're very proud that the cooperation between China and Israel has gone up tremendously," Ayalon said.
Israel and China of late have agreed to ease tourism visa requirements for Chinese visiting Israel, that Israel will help Chinese farmers develop agricultural techniques, and Israeli Agency for International Development Cooperation will help build demonstration dairy farms in China's northern province, among other agreements.
Ayalon said the two economies complement each other. Israel has advanced technologies and experiences in such fields as agriculture, which can be used by China.
Ayalon, on Oct. 14, is set to visit Shanghai to attend the closing ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo 2010, which has lasted for six months. Israel, which hosted its largest-ever pavilion located alongside China's pavilion at the fair garnered a lot of attention.
Ayalon said "in the world, human knowledge doubles itself every 14-months, both China and Israel are at the forefront of this explosion of information, this explosion of technology, so we can benefit from each others' experience, from the cultural point of view, traditional values, and of course the economic interests."
Meanwhile, Ayalon noted Israel and China have a lot in common, saying "both countries, both sides still speak the original language, the ancient language of four or five thousand years old. Both nations are actually practicing the same traditions of thousand years old, holding many of the values."
"I'm sure the cooperation and friendship and mutual respect will continue to grow and become ever more evident," the deputy foreign minister added.
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