Benjamin Netanyahu with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at an official welcoming ceremony. Photo: Israel GPO.

Three days into his visit to the country, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally received his official welcome at a ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Welcomed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Netanyahu reiterated at the start of their meeting that followed that he was there to strengthen economic ties between the two countries.

“I think that we can greatly enhance this future by our cooperation. My main message in this visit is that Israel can be a perfect junior partner for China in the pursuit of economic excellence and competitive advantage by offering our technological capabilities,” the Prime Minister said.

The Chinese premier met at the beginning of the week with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and the issue of peace with the Palestinian Authority was not lost on Netanyahu, who told his Chinese counterpart “that it’s important for us to discuss with you how we can cooperate not only on economic and technological issues but also the pursuit of peace.”

“I’m ready to exchange views with you today on how to strengthen our bilateral relationship, how to enhance our bilateral cooperation and also on regional issues such as the question of Palestine and the Middle East process,” Li told Netanyahu.