China: 1.3 billion people. Israel: 8 million.
We think all 8 million Israelis would have liked to have attended the event at the prestigious Tel Aviv Hilton Grand Ballroom last Tuesday evening to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. Graciously hosted by Her Excellency Madame Gao Yanping, China's ambassador to Israel, and the Chinese Embassy, the guest list was a veritable who's-who of Israeli society. Foreign and local diplomats mingled with parliamentarians of all stripes, with leaders of Israel's commercial and business community, the arts, sport and many other VIPs and leaders of Israeli and Chinese society.
Guest of honor – and it is indeed an honor to China and to Israel – was President Reuven (Rubi) Rivlin and his charming wife First Lady Mrs. Nechama Rivlin. Other notable guests included the leader of the opposition Mr. Yitzhak (Boezi) Herzog, Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Tzachi Hanegbi, former minister Ran Cohen, Attorney General Mr. Yehuda Weinstein, former minister Ehud Barak, and first lady of the Israeli theater, Gila Almagor with her husband, theater impresario Yaakov Agmon. Also present were several young Chinese exchange students studying at Israeli Universities. The youth of China's tomorrow are gaining their education at Israel's higher-learning establishments – a fine compliment to both.
The Master of Ceremonies briefly welcomed the guests and orchestrated the singing of the national anthems of the People's Republic of China and of the State of Israel. He then introduced the Chinese ambassador, who addressed the assembly.
Madame Yanping opened with a warm welcome to the State President and his wife, stressing how honored she felt by their presence. Her Excellency used several words in Hebrew, which added to the warmth of her welcome. She continued with an enlightening review of China's successes over the past 65 years, and of the close relationship mighty China has with tiny (but mighty in its own way) Israel. "China is now the world's second largest economy, and an important contributor to the world growth and prosperity, which contributes almost 30% to the world economic growth. Since the entry into the WTO in 2001, China has imported goods worth $750 billion annually, and created more than 14 million jobs for the global economy. ... Almost 100 million outbound visits were made by the Chinese tourists. In the coming five years, ... Chinese visitors abroad will be 500 million, 60 times Israel's population".
The Ambassador spoke enthusiastically of China's hopes and plans for the future too, stressing that China is resolute in pursuing a more proactive strategy of opening-up. "We will focus on stabilizing exports and actively expanding imports. ... China is resolute in following the path of peaceful development [and] is fully aware of its responsibilities and expectations from the international community. We will play our due role to establish a new type of international relations based on win-win cooperation and provide more public goods to the world. We will play a more proactive and constructive role in addressing international and regional hotspot issues to promote peace, security and stability". Madame Ambassador spoke of China's present aid in the Ebola crisis in West Africa, and mentioned that China is now Israel's third-largest trading partner. "I have great confidence in the future of China-Israel relations. I hope we could seize the good opportunities of the Chinese Dream and make it into our common dream. I firmly believe that China and Israel will continue to make joint and persistent efforts to enhance our mutual respect and trust, explore the great potential of cooperation. The future of our relations will be full of opportunities and excitement".
She ended her address by proposing a toast:
"To the 65th National Day of the People's Republic of China,
To the peace and prosperity of China and Israel,
To the friendship between our two peoples"
And again thanked all the guests for attending the reception.
In his response, the State President offered sincere congratulations to the Ambassador and to the People's Republic of China, and with a smile mentioned that Israel is one year senior to China. "Both our peoples have rich and ancient histories and place much importance on values. And today, there is no doubt that we have a shared future and much to gain from our good relations."
A pre-recorded video by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was screened to the audience, where the PM also expressed his admiration for China and expressed his good wishes to that country.
A lavish buffet dinner featuring both Chinese and western dishes followed. At the same time guests were entertained by professional folk ensemble from China, performing a series of dances accompanied by folk music. Carefully choreographed and highly colorful, the dancers moved with breathtaking grace and style. Just the names of the selections gives an idea of the beauty, including: "Blooming Flowers & Full Moon, "Spring Rain", "Peony Pavilion" (A Stroll in the Garden) and "The Peacock's Flight". The final performance was a martial arts exhibition/dance that included a joint presentation by performers from the Wushu Association of Peking University (University of Beijing) and the Israeli Wushu Team from Rehovot. The presentation also included participants from the Confucius Institute in Jerusalem.
China and Israel – a winning combination.
Photos Silvia Golan
