JUST NU: Israel anfaller Libanon [2006]

Bilateral trade increased from $50 million in 1992 to $3 billion in 2005. The number of Israeli FDI programs in China reached 204.

At least 800 Israeli companies are doing business in China. And recently more and more venture capital has been aimed at the Chinese market.

We have various cooperative forms in the agriculture area, such as joint research and development, import of equipment, training and demonstration farms. Our efforts to learn from Israel bore sweet fruits.

Mashav programs - coordinated by Israel's Foreign Ministry - have cumulatively helped train more than 4,000 specialized personnel. There have been 1,000 Chinese students coming to study in Israel, and nearly 400 Israeli students have learned in China.

The content and variety of our cultural exchanges have been extended, with new energies injected by the participation of commercial and nongovernmental groups in this field. In 2005, our embassy issued 37,000 one-entry or multiple-entry visas for Israelis, which is 2.5 times the number in 2001. There are seven pairs of sister cities between China and Israel, and three new pairs are on their way.
ISRAEL HAS a developed economy and advanced technologies, whereas China has rich human resource, a huge market and limitless potential for development.

Our two economies are highly complementary, which is the firmest base and strongest motivation to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in this era of globalization. It is because of discerning such advantages, the top leaders from our two countries both placed high expectations on bilateral cooperation.

During his visit to Israel in December 2004, Chinese State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan proposed that Sino-Israeli trade volume should reach $5b. by 2008. And just two months ago, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told me once again that China's development is not a threat but Israel's opportunity, that Israel welcomes Chinese merchandise and continues to promote the export of Israeli hi-tech products to China.

This consensus at the top level of the leadership proves that the bilateral relationship is becoming more mature and substantial.

"---Israel, with U.S. support, intends to resist calls for a cease-fire and continue a longer-term strategy of punishing Hezbollah, which is likely to include several weeks of precision bombing in Lebanon, according to senior Israeli and U.S. officials.

For Israel, the goal is to eliminate Hezbollah as a security threat -- or altogether, the sources said. A senior Israeli official confirmed that Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah is a target, on the calculation that the Shiite movement would be far less dynamic without him.

For the United States, the broader goal is to strangle the axis of Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria and Iran, which the Bush administration believes is pooling resources to change the strategic playing field in the Middle East, U.S. officials say.

Whatever the outrage on the Arab streets, Washington believes it has strong behind-the-scenes support among key Arab leaders also nervous about the populist militants -- with a tacit agreement that the timing is right to strike.---"

"---President Putin has suggested Israel has ulterior motives in Lebanon rather than simply the return of abducted soldiers.

"We condemn any terrorist act including hostage-taking but we have the impression that besides the return of its abducted soldiers, Israel is pursuing other, wider goals," he said on Saturday.---"

In addition, senior diplomatic officials said a significant anti-Hizbullah line has emerged in the Arab world that goes beyond Egypt and Jordan, and that there was anger at Hizbullah for destabilizing the region and plunging it into a crisis without any coordination with the Arab world.

Sharp rifts among Arab foreign ministers appeared at an emergency meeting in Cairo, with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal calling Hizbullah's actions "unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible," and said they have set the whole region back years, "and we cannot simply accept them."

This position was reportedly accepted by representatives of Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.