Israeli president urges closer cooperation with China in face of regional extremism

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Thursday called for closer cooperation between Israel and China in various fields in face of threats posed by extremism in the Middle East.

"China has an important voice on the international stage and especially in our region, which suffers from war and ongoing hostility," Rivlin told a reception celebrating the 66th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"At every turn, fundamentalism and extremism seek to light the fires of hatred between different communities and peoples. We must stand firm and united in the face of these threats. But at the same time we must seek to find a common language, and to build a shared future," he said.

The Israeli president described the friendship between Israel and China as "the best example with shared understanding and mutual respect that we can truly achieve great things."

Rivlin said he is very proud of the cooperation between the Israeli and Chinese governments in areas such as the environment, agriculture and energy.

"In the current geopolitical reality, our ongoing cooperation in many fields is more important than ever," he stressed.

Rivlin also said Israel can never forget the shelter that the Chinese people gave to thousands of Jews who fled from Nazi Europe during the Second World War.

In his speech, Chinese Ambassador Zhan Yongxin said that the mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and Israeli peoples are injecting more vitality into the sustainable development of bilateral relations.

According to the Chinese ambassador, in the first half of this year, the trade volume between the two countries increased by 5.7 percent to 5.6 billion U.S. dollars and is expected to reach another record high at the end of this year. Endit