Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday (March 21) on the second day of his three-day visit to Beijing, followed by a meeting with Baidu Inc’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robin Li.
Netanyahu wants to enlarge Israel’s high-tech presence in China while encouraging further Chinese investment in Israel, where infrastructure and construction projects are growing rapidly.
Meeting in Beijing’s cavernous Great Hall of the People, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang praised Israel’s advances, saying it was a world leader in some technologies.
China has traditionally played little role in Middle East conflicts or diplomacy, despite its reliance on the region for oil. But it has been trying to get more involved, for example in efforts to end Syria’s civil war, trying to portray itself as an honest broker without the historical baggage the Americans and Europeans have in the region, Beijing-based diplomats say.
(REUTERS)
