Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosts
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Jerusalem • Yi: There is a profound
traditional friendship between people of our two countries • Dr. Miriam
Adelson: China opened its doors to Jewish refugees of the Holocaust.
Chinese Foreign Minister
Wang Yi and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Wednesday
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Photo credit: GPO |
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"My visit to China [in May], and your visit
today in Jerusalem, showcases the determination our two governments have
to strengthen our friendship and improve cooperation between us," Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Wang arrived in Israel Tuesday night for a
three-day visit. "Our strengths complement one another," Netanyahu said.
China has massive industrial and global reach. Israel has expertise in
every area of high-tech. And I think the combination could be very, very
beneficial to China and of course to Israel. Especially with regards to
the fields we are talking about: science and technology, water
management, agriculture, green energy and health services. Likewise we
want to increase cooperation between us in global transportation. I
would like to talk to you about the rail road that will connect Asia and
Europe, by going from the port of Eilat on the Red Sea to the Ashdod
port on the Mediterranean. I believe this is important to global and
Chinese commerce."
Netanyahu highlighted the two countries'
shared values. "We both value education and families. We value knowledge
and learning. We place importance on taking initiative and being
entrepreneurial, something which both Israel and China have in great
supply. I think Israel could be a perfect partner for China in research
and development."
"It gives me great pleasure to come to
Israel," Wang said. "Indeed this is my first trip to this country as
Chinese foreign minister. I have first and foremost come to Israel for
the furtherance of friendship between our two countries. Indeed there is
a profound traditional friendship between people of our two countries."
The Chinese foreign minister echoed
Netanyahu's belief that Israel and China's economies are well fitted for
one another. "I've also come to pursue stronger cooperation between our
two countries. Our two economies are highly complementary, and the
mutually beneficial cooperation between us enjoys a very bright future.
During your visit to China this year, Mr. Prime Minister, you reached a
very important agreement with President Xi Jinping, and Premier Li
Keqiang of China on how to further deepen the mutually beneficial
cooperation between our two countries. I have come to explore with my
Israeli counterpart on how to further implement all the important
consensus and explore the various areas of even stronger cooperation
between us so as to deliver greater benefits to both peoples," Wang
said.
With regards to Middle East diplomacy. Wang
said his country would "continue to play a positive role in the region."
Netanyahu tried to rally the Chinese behind a deal to prevent Iran from
being able to produce nuclear weapons. "We believe that for the peace
of the world, for the peace of the coming years and decades, Iran must
be denied the capability -- I stress the word -- the capability to
develop nuclear weapons. It must fully comply with U.N. Security Council
resolutions," Netanyahu said.
Wang recalled China's reception of Jews
refugees during World War II, when other nations turned them away. "I
believe this helped form the basis of the deep and valued friendship
between our two countries, such a friendship should only be improved,"
he said.
Wang praised Netanyahu for initiating the
efforts to improve ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese
Prime Minister Li Keqiang. "I came to see how to implement important
agreements and evaluate different fields of increased cooperation with
my Israeli colleagues, to the benefit of both nations," Wang said.
Israel and China recently agreed to lift the
visa requirement for people holding diplomatic passports when traveling
between the two countries.
Wang also met with Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday and expressed hope that the peace
talks between Israel and the Palestinians bear fruit.
Meanwhile, speaking at a Likud convention
Wednesday night, Netanyahu reiterated his stance against the Iranian
nuclear threat. "Seventy years after the attempted extermination of our
people, comes a leader [in Iran] and says he will destroy the Jews and
the Jewish state and is given legitimacy by the world, his spokesmen get
a pat on the back. We are not falling to temptation. When someone
threatens to exterminate us, we take that threat seriously, and we will
not allow Iran to develop military nuclear capability. Mark my words: We
will not allow Iran to develop a military nuclear capability. Not only
will we not accept a situation in which Iran has the bomb, but we will
not accept them being able to manufacture one as well. There is a big
difference between the two," he said.
Meanwhile, Yi praised the potential of
Sino-Israeli cooperation Wednesday night at a banquet in the King David
Hotel in Jerusalem. "With the Jewish mind, and a Chinese engine, we will
build a machine that will reach the skies," he said.
During the event, organized by the Chinese
embassy in Israel, the Association to Promote Israel-China ties and
other Sino-Israeli groups, Wang emphasized the continuously improving
ties between the two countries. "There is a Chinese saying -- true
friendship only grows. By my understanding, this is the direction our
two nations, who share a long history together, are going. Our goal
today is to improve the ties between our countries for children and
grandchildren's sake."
"I welcome you to Jerusalem, the eternal and
united capital of Israel," Dr. Miriam Adelson told Wang at the banquet.
"When countries around the world closed their doors to the Jews during
the Holocaust, the Chinese people opened their nation's doors, accepted
them with open arms and gave the Jews shelter and protection," she said.
Hebrew University President Professor Menachem
Ben-Sasson also spoke at the event. "People ask us -- what is the
secret to your success? Well, the secret is our daring to ask
questions," he said. Ben-Sasson mentioned the university's archive of
Albert Einstein's assorted works. "We uploaded his writings to the
Internet in different languages, including Chinese; we had 25 million
visitors in the first week, half of them from China."
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