Israeli President Shimon Peres at the Weibo company, in Beijing, China. Photo: Amos Ben Gershom / GPO.

Israeli President Shimon Peres on Thursday launched his official webpage on Weibo, China’s largest social network, from the company’s headquarters in Beijing, as part of a state visit.

Peres hit a Chinese gong to announce the launch, as hundreds of Weibo employees attended and waved Chinese and Israeli flags. Within minutes of the launch, 50 million users viewed his Weibo page.

According to a statement, Peres told those gathered at Weibo: “I’m proud to be a member of the Weibo family, I look forward to seeing you all on my page so that I can speak directly to the Chinese people, and especially the younger generation, to strengthen Israeli-Sino relations.”

A Weibo representative said the event was the first of its kind in China and was the largest launch of a Weibo page in the company’s history.

Weibo users posted questions for Peres with many interested in finding out more about the State of Israel. After the launch event, Peres conducted an interview in the company’s studio with two leading Chinese bloggers, Ma Xiolin and Wang Chong, and answered questions from Weibo users.

Peres was asked what the secret to the wisdom of the Jewish people, and he responded, “Our secret is learning. It’s important to ask questions, to cast doubt, to think creatively outside of the box and to learn about issues in depth. Our secret is based on high quality education.”