When East Meets Mideast: China and Israel Expand Ties
Chinese official at Kotel. Image by Gettty
By John A. Oswald March 31, 2016
Israel and China struck several deals this week to boost tourism and business ties.
One of the biggest and most promising is the opening of the first Chinese tech hub in Israel, in Tel Aviv, reports Bloomberg Technology.
The hub is operated by Beijing-based TechCode, which also has operations in Silicon Valley, Seoul, and Berlin.
Reports the tech news site: “With four floors in the center of the Israeli city’s financial heart, the company wants to increase China’s technology prowess and offer an entrepreneurial gateway between both nations.”
The entry of TechCode into Israel will also work with Israel tech startups to help them enter the Chinese market, officials said.
In other developments:
-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong started talks on a possible free trade deal.
-The People’s Daily Online, meanwhile, reports that Israel will issue 10-year multiple-entry visas to China to boost .
-Direct flights between Beijing and Tel Aviv aboard China’s Hainan Airlines will also begin.
-Statistics show that Chinese nationals made 47,400 trips to Israel in 2015, 43 percent more than in 2014.
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