October 27, 2013

Chinese look to follow Israel’s example of quick success


Growing partnerships abound in manufacturing, telecom, agriculture, biotech, alternative energy and even in academia and the arts.

Earlier this year, actors and support crew took the 12-hour flight from Beijing to Tel Aviv to make the first Chinese feature film in Israel — a romantic comedy shot in locations including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the Dead Sea.

The Tourism Ministry, which facilitated the shoot, predicts the number of Chinese tourists will reach a record 28,000 this year. But ties between these two Asian countries — one with a population of eight million, the other 1.3 billion – go way beyond tourism.

Israeli-Chinese partnerships in business, academia and culture have rapidly grown since the countries established diplomatic relations in 1992.