(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

 

The Cabinet today (Sunday), 12 February 2012, approved the appointment of Minister Matan Vilnai as Ambassador to China.

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the decision and said that, "I view the appointment of an Ambassador to China as an issue of national importance. We want to significantly increase our trade and economic ties with the rising powers of the east, especially China. We have many interests, including - for example - infrastructure projects that we are moving forward on, and would like to see these powers involved in them.

 

Many of these issues are determined on the government level; therefore, it is important to me, and to Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, to appoint a person of ministerial rank, who can achieve breakthroughs with China. We all remember Minister Ora Namir who was there [as Ambassador, from 1996-2000], she did important work, and it is with great hopes that we are sending Matan. It is with great hopes that we are sending Matan. We thank him for his recent activity as Home Front Defense Minister. There have been great advances in this field, in the field of deterrence and in other fields, as well as in the field of active defense."