When meeting with former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres on Wednesday, Vice-Premier Liu Yandong said "there is huge potential and great prospect for two-way cooperation in various fields, particularly in innovation cooperation".

At their meeting in Tel Aviv, Peres said both two countries value innovation, and he is delighted to see the outcomes in science and innovation domains.

Liu conveyed greetings by Chinese leaders to Peres. She said Peres is "an outstanding strategist and statesman" and "an old friend of Chinese people".

During Peres' visit to China in 2014, a slew of important consensus was reached between him and President Xi Jinping upon strengthening two-way cooperation in fields such as science and technology, education, health and medical care, agriculture and utilization of water resources.

"Today, with the joint efforts of both sides, these consensuses have yielded fruitful outcomes," Liu told Peres.

Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relationship between China and Israel.

Liu said the two sides are hoped to take this as an opportunity to bring the ties to a new height, and Peres is expected to further play an important role in boosting the friendly cooperation.

Liu is in a three-stop visit to Egypt, Israel and Palestine till Thursday.

zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn