| President Hu Jintao Holds Talks with Israeli President |
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| 2004-11-28 14:11 |
On the afternoon of December 18, 2003, President Hu Jintao held talks with Israeli President Moshe Katsav, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People.
During the meeting, Hu said that since China and Israel established diplomatic relations 11 years ago, bilateral relations have gown continuously, with effective exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, science and technology, agriculture, culture and education. He pointed out that China-Israel friendship and reciprocal cooperation are the common aspiration of both peoples, conform to the fundamental interests of both peoples, and facilitate peace, stability and development of the region and the whole world at large. To this end, he put forward a four-point proposal, first, maintaining high-level contacts and exchanges, and conducting political dialogue and consultations at all levels; second, expanding economic and trade cooperation on the principles of mutual benefit and common progress; third, furthering scientific, cultural and educational exchanges and cooperation, encouraging and promoting friendly contacts at the non-governmental level; fourth, working together for the long-term and healthy development of bilateral ties.
Katsav said he totally agrees with President Hu's evaluation of bilateral relations. He maintained that the four-point proposal raised by Hu will become an important principle for the development of bilateral relations. He suggested two high-level committees be established by both sides to implement the above-mentioned proposal.
Katsav stressed that the Israeli government pays great attention to its friendly relations with China and there is still a lot of potentiality to be tapped in the cooperation between the two countries. He said that the Jewish people have always borne friendly feelings towards the Chinese people. During World War II, Chinese people received a large number of Jewish refugees and protected them from the talons of the Nazi, which was deeply appreciated by the Jewish people.
On the Middle East peace process, Hu said that the Middle East issue had been left unsettled for over half a century, and brought tremendous disaster to all nations and their peoples in the region including Israel. Using force or conflict will not settle problems. Peaceful talks and cooperation are the only correct way. He said the Palestinian-Israeli peace process is facing a historic opportunity with the initiation of the Road Map peace plan, and China hoped the two sides will remove obstacles and return to negotiations. Hu also noted that the basic attitude of China on the Middle East issue is to promote peaceful talks so as to help deliver an overall peace of the Middle East. Hu said that China is willing to make efforts to reach this aim.
Katsav said that the acceptance of the Road Map was an important decision for the Israeli government, and it would do its best to maintain dialogue with Palestinian leaders so as to put an end to the bloody conflict and resume peace talks. He said that Israel is confident of the future of the region, hoping China can play a bigger role in the Middle East peace process.
(Information from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PRC ) |
Bilateral Visits