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China and Israel Celebrate 25 Years of Diplomatic Relations
(Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs) On January 24, 1992, in Beijing, foreign ministers David Levy and Qian Qichen signed the agreement establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and the People's Republic of China. The link between the Israeli and Chinese peoples is an ancient one, dating from the Jewish community in Kaifeng a thousand years ago. Jewish communities prospered also in Harbin, Tianjin and Shanghai, where thousands of Jews found refuge from the Nazis during World War II. Both peoples come from ancient cultures that succeeded in preserving their unique character and their moral heritage throughout thousands of years of history. China is Israel's third-largest trading partner; more than a third of hi-tech investments in Israel during the past year came from China. The innovation center of Tsinghua - China's leading university - was established at Tel Aviv University, while Israel's Technion will soon open a branch in Shantou in South China. The Israeli embassy was rated recently as the foreign embassy in Beijing with the highest number of followers (close to two million).