This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Israel. The 2022 China-Israel Innovation Cooperation Week kicked off Monday morning in Changzhou. The event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Ministry of Economy and Industry of Israel, the People's Government of Jiangsu Province, and the Embassy of Israel in China. Wu Zhenglong, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, announced the opening of the cooperation week. Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang, Orna Barbivay, Minister of Economy and Industry of Israel, Derry Bin, Director of the Innovation Agency, and Cai Run, Chinese Ambassador to Israel, delivered speeches via video.
Wang Zhigang said that President Xi Jinping spoke highly of the development of China-Israel relations over the past 30 years. In January this year, when exchanging congratulatory messages with Israeli President Herzog, President Xi Jinping pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Israel, the friendship between the two peoples has been deepened, and bilateral relations have achieved substantial development.
Since the establishment of the innovative comprehensive partnership between the two countries in 2017, the exchanges and cooperation in various fields have been fruitful, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples, Wang said.
Wang Zhigang said that in recent years, China has adhered to the combination of self-reliance and self-improvement with open innovation by forming a new pattern of all-round, multi-level and wide-ranging international scientific and technological cooperation, and has made Chinese contributions to global scientific and technological progress and sustainable development.
Standing at a new starting point, we will follow the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, solidly implement the results of the China-Israel Joint Commission on Innovation and Cooperation, create more iconic projects, and promote the sustainable, healthy and stable development of China-Israel comprehensive partnership in innovation, said the minister.
Wang Zhigang said the Ministry of Science and Technology will support Jiangsu Province and Changzhou City to further develop their advantages in technological and industrial innovation, and strive to build the China-Israel Changzhou Innovation Park into an image representative of China's open innovation, better play an exemplary role, and contribute new strength to improving the level of innovation cooperation between the two countries.
Hu Guangjie said that as we embark on a new journey, Jiangsu will earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries on deepening innovation cooperation, continue to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation, and contribute more practical results to the development of China-Israel relations and the benefit of the two peoples.
The vice governor said Jiangsu will build a bridgehead for Israel to carry out innovation cooperation in China with the China-based Changzhou Innovation Park as the core, adding that the province will unswervingly promote a higher level of opening to the outside world, actively create a first-class business environment, and build a better platform and provide better services for Israeli talents to achieve career development in Jiangsu and help Israeli enterprises to invest in Jiangsu.
Orna Barbivay and Derry Bin said that Israel will fully support the innovation cooperation between the two countries and the development of the China-Israel Changzhou Innovation Park, encourage more Israeli innovative companies to develop in China and Jiangsu, and promote cooperation between the two sides to achieve new results in various fields.
Noting that innovation is the highlight and booster of China-Israel relations, Cai Run and Irit Ben-Abba hoped that both sides will take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as a new starting point to further deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, complement each other's advantages and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, adding that Jiangsu will play a greater role in the innovation cooperation between the two countries.
Wu Zhenglong, Pan Qirui and Zhang Guangjun kicked off the opening of the China-Israel Innovation Cooperation Week and the opening of the China-Israel International Innovation Village. At the opening ceremony, the 6th China-Israel Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition was launched, and the China-Israel Innovation Park Cooperation Alliance was established.
The China-Israel Changzhou Innovation Park is the first innovation cooperation park in China jointly built by the governments of China and Israel. With the theme of "Innovation Season, Cooperative Agreement", this Innovation Cooperation Week will carry out a series of exchange activities in the fields of science and technology, industry, investment, intellectual property, education, culture, health, and finance.
