CCTV9英语新闻：Benjamin Netanyahu in China to boost commercial ties

Netanyahu met his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang in Beijing on Monday.  Marking 25 years of relations with Beijing, Netanyahu is also scheduled to meet President Xi and other top officials. But the focus of this week's visit is on boosting commercial ties. 

 

Accompanied by five ministers and the largest business delegation Israel has ever sent to another country, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is welcomed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People.

 

The official visit marks 25 years since Israel and China established diplomatic relations, and stresses the continued deepening of economic cooperation with the second-largest economy in the world. 

 

The two sides signed a series of economic agreements to bolster trade between the countries, as well as industrial cooperation between Chinese and Israeli companies in multiple areas.

 

Israel and China launched negotiations over a free trade agreement last year, with another round of talks scheduled for July.

 

China is Israel’s largest trading partner in Asia, with bilateral trade volume surpassing 11 billion US Dollars. 

 

Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Xi Jinping and other top officials, as well as representatives of companies, for the next few days in China. 

 

He hopes the visit will significantly advance and strengthen relations between China and Israel.