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Israel ready to enhance economic, trade ties with China: PM

(Xinhua)    12:27, December 20, 2013
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JERUSALEM, Dec. 19 -- Israel has pledged to further strengthen its cooperation with China in trade, water management, health care, agriculture and green energy.

Israel is willing to incorporate its expertise in science and technology with China's huge market and adequate funding in order to double bilateral trade volume, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said here Wednesday before his meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"Our strengths, I believe, complement one another. China has massive industrial and global reach, Israel has expertise in every area of high technology and I think the combination could be very, very beneficial to China and of course to Israel," Netanyahu said.

"We have a deep admiration for the people of China. We are both ancient peoples, rooted in a glorious past and is seizing the future. We believe that by working together, we can seize it ... more effectively for the benefit of our own two countries and also for the benefit of the world at large," he added.

The Chinese foreign minister highlighted the rapidly-growing China-Israel relations, saying they have brought tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries.

Noting that China has always attached great importance to developing its ties with Israel, Wang said China is ready to further implement the important consensus reached between the two sides during Netanyahu's visit to China in May this year, and deepen pragmatic cooperation with Israel in various fields to bring bilateral relations to a higher level.

China is willing to conduct more high-level exchanges with Israel, taking advantage of the existing inter-governmental cooperation mechanism between the two countries to churn out new growth points for cooperation.

Wang also hoped that Israel would play its part in China's reform process.

On the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Netanyahu said Israel is conducting the talks in an earnest and serious way, and is committed to promoting the peace process.

Wang said it is in the fundamental and long-term interests of Israel to achieve peace with the Palestinians.

He voiced his hope that at this critical moment of the Israeli- Palestinian peace talks, Israel would make a right decision, pushing forward the talks and laying a solid foundation for peace in the region.

Wang arrived in the region late Tuesday evening for his first visit to Israel and Palestine. On Wednesday morning, he met with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Addressing a dinner in his honor here Wednesday evening, Wang stressed that his current visit is aimed at boosting friendship and cooperation between China and Israel, and promoting regional peace.

Wang will leave Israel on Friday to continue his five-nation trip in the Middle East, which will also take him to Morocco, Algeria and Saudi Arabia. He is the first Chinese foreign minister to visit Israel since 2009.

(Editor:ZhangQian、Yao Chun)

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