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Israel and China Celebrate 20 Years of Friendship

(Foreign Policy) Oren Kessler - As China and Israel mark 20 years of diplomatic relations, bilateral trade stands at almost $10 billion, a 200-fold rise in two decades. China is Israel's third-largest export market, buying everything from telecommunications and information technology to agricultural hardware, solar energy equipment, and pharmaceuticals. At least 1,000 Israeli firms now operate in China, home to a massive $10 billion kosher food industry that sends much of its output to Israel. Last September, the Israeli government announced Chinese participation in a rail project that would allow overland cargo transport through Israel's Negev desert, bypassing the Suez Canal. Hebrew-language and Jewish studies centers have sprung up in Chinese universities nationwide. Indeed, one of the more curious elements in the Israel-China alliance is the latter's widespread fascination with Jews. Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud are iconic figures in the country, and in the 1950s the Chinese communist government issued a postage stamp bearing the visage of the Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem. However, Chinese trade with Iran is valued at over $30 billion and is projected to reach $50 billion by 2015.
2012-03-14 00:00:00
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