​ (Communicated by the MFA Spokesperson)

Wang Qishan, Vice-President of the People's Republic of China, will visit Israel on 22-25 October 2018. He is one of the most senior Chinese officials to visit Israel since the visit of the Chinese president in 2000.

The Chinese VP is coming to Israel at the invitation of PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Together, they will host the 4th meeting of the China-Israel Joint Committee on Innovation Cooperation (JCIC), which will take place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, 24 October.

Vice President Wang will be the guest of honor at the Prime Minister's Innovation Summit and at the ceremony inaugurating the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation. The Chinese vice president is expected to hold a working meeting with PM Netanyahu and to meet with President Rivlin.

The JCIC convenes annually, alternating between Beijing and Jerusalem. This year, the Chinese delegation to the meeting will includes high ranking officials such as ministers and deputy ministers from 13 Chinese government ministries.

PM Netanyahu and Vice President Wang will co-chair the meeting, during which the various committee partners will deliver reports on the progress of the cooperation between them. They will observe the signing of some 10 cooperation agreements and sign the next three years action plan of the JCIC.

This G2G platform was set up and signed by PM Netanyahu with Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong when the latter visited Israel in 2014.

The JCIC's work is coordinated by the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.

The JCIC  has partners from 13 government ministries and agencies: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space; the Ministries of Economy, Health, the Environmental Protection, Education, Culture, Energy, Transportation; the Innovation Authority; the Patent Authority in the Justice Ministry; the Council for Higher Education; and the National Science Foundation.

The JCIC advances cooperation between governmental authorities from both countries, joint projects with the private sectors, joint researches - scientific and industrial,  the provision of hundreds of student scholarship grants and much more.

The convention and the meeting of the leaders is an opportunity for both sides to advance significant topics to both sides and sign important agreements. In 2016, the beginning of a free trade talks was announced at the convention, as well as the signing of a 10-years multiple entry visa agreement for tourists and businesspeople. Last year, an arrangement allowing Chinese construction workers to work in Israel  was signed, as well as the signing of a Dairy Products Protocol, paving the way for  Israeli dairy product exports to the Chinese market.