Ora Namir (also known by her Chinese name as Nan Yue Ming), former ambassador of the state of Israel to the People’s Republic of China and Mongolia, passed away on Sunday (7th. of July) at the age of 88. Namir was Israel’s third ambassador to China, stationed in Beijing between 1996-2000. Namir’s term as ambassador in Beijing was a period of rapidly strengthening ties between Israel and China.
During Namir’s final interview as ambassador, she fondly stated that her most significant achievement during the last four years was assisting the development of China’s agriculture industry. Namir was a farmer’s daughter, thus she felt that sharing Israeli advances in agricultural technology and management experience with the Chinese people was her true calling. During her time as ambassador, Namir facilitated the entry of Israeli agriculture companies to China, and helped local enterprise develop their own knowledge base and expertise, giving birth to the present flourishing state of Sino-Israeli cooperation in the field of agriculture.
Ambassador Namir was incredibly fond of children, during her time in China, she personally sponsored the education of six Chinese children. Under her guidance, the Israeli embassy in China also provided teaching resources to a rural primary school in Yanqing, Beijing. Namir once told a journalist: "although the distance between our two countries is great, I have a deep connection with the Chinese people. I have visited 31 provinces, cities and autonomous regions in China. Every time I travel, I visit villages, farmers, and schools, I Interact with the local people. I am deeply impressed by the Chinese people's enthusiasm, diligence, and eagerness to learn and work without complaint. Eighty percent of rural children in China now have the opportunity to attend school, this is a remarkable achievement."
Ambassador Namir was a great friend of China, today we mourn her passing.