When meeting with former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres in Tel Aviv on March 30, Vice-Premier Liu Yandong said “there is huge potential and great prospect for two-way cooperation in various fields, particularly in innovation cooperation”. Liu conveyed greetings by Chinese leaders to Peres. She said Peres is “an outstanding strategist and statesman” and “an old friend of Chinese people”. 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.

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

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.

And the vice-premier addressed a China-Israel healthcare cooperation seminar in Tel Aviv earlier on March 30.

China and Israel are expected to “increase dynamism for the two-way cooperation in healthcare industries”, Liu said. Israel enjoys “a well-developed healthcare system, it runs effectively and it’s a pioneer in technology”, she noted.

Cooperation should be deepened in regards to the industry new frontiers and cutting-edge technologies - such as stem cells and regenerative medicine - to “make the biological and pharmaceutical sectors a new driving force for the economic development of the two countries,” she said.

“China is endeavoring to build a ‘healthy China’, and is consistently advancing its reform in the medical, pharmaceutical and hygiene system,” she said.

Also the two countries hope to boost sharing of experiences and strengthen in-depth cooperation in between, and joint research and training are hoped for health emergency management and disease prevention and control, she said.

?Liu is in a three-stop visit to Egypt, Israel and Palestine till March 31.