BEIJING (EJP)—During a meeting with visiting Israeli President Shimon Peres, Chinese President Xi Jinping said ‘’peace talks between Israel and Palestine are at a critical stage.’’
‘’We hope the Israeli side will act in long term fundamental interest of the Israeli people bearing in mind the bigger picture of peace and make courageous decisions to work together with the Palestinian side and the international community to push for substantive progress as soon as possible,” he said.
Peres is on a 3-day state visit to China at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart. He was welcomed in Beijing by a guard of honor and a choir of children waving Israeli and Chinese flags.
“Mr. President, welcome to China.It is indeed a great pleasure to meet with you, you are a senior statesman of Israel and an old friend of the Chinese people. Over the years you have made important contributions to China-Israel bilateral relations,’’ President Xi Jinping said.
During his meeting with Peres, the Chinese leader made clear that China supports the continued negotiations with Iran within the P5+1 framework and believes that a solution should be found diplomatically. He also said that China opposes the development of nuclear weapons by Iran and understands Israel’s security concerns.
Peres thanked the Chinese President and said, “Thank you so much for you words, thank you for your invitation. I came on behalf of the people of Israel to express our admiration for China and her important role in the world.”
President Peres addressed the peace talks and said : There are indeed crucial days in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, it is important to return to the table – we must fight for peace, China can be a key player in strengthening stability and progressing the cause of peace in the Middle East.”
He also spoke of the Iranian nuclear program and said, “China has a central role in the efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Iran is the center of terror in the world. Iran funds terrorism and exports it across the entire Middle East and beyond. Iran is building a nuclear bomb, threatens to destroy Israel and is developing long range missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads.”
The Israeli President also raised the increased cooperation between Israel and China in the fields of technology, medicinal agriculture and neuroscience. He called for direct flights by Chinese airlines from China to Israel to increase tourism between the two countries.
Israel has been making signs of rapprochement since a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to Beijing last May, the first such trip since 2007.
China’s Ambassador to Israel, Gao Yanping, said that Peres’ visit to China “will promote a new high in China-Israel relations.”
Much of the focus is on trade and economic cooperation. China is Israel’s third-largest trading partner, and bilateral trade between the two countries was worth over $10 billion in 2013.
The Chinese Ambassador described Israel as “a happy and innovative startup nation with many cutting-edge technologies.” According to Chinese reports, Beijing is especially interested in cooperation in the fields of agriculture, natural resources, environmental protection, education, and healthcare.