At the beginning of the reception, Mr. Matan Vilnai, the Ambassador of Israeli in China, and his wife, Mrs. Anat Vilnai, welcomed and greeted the honored guests.

During his opening speech, Mr. Vilnai introduced the idea and history behind the establishment of the State of Israel:

"The state of Israel was established in 1948, 68 years ago. We started as an idea, which evolved into reality against all odds.  Our national dream was not an easy one to fulfill: after centuries of persecution and suffering, we returned to our historic homeland, regained our sovereignty and literally made "the desert bloom" in a variety of fields. Our country has managed to reach great success and transform into a strong modern state, despite its hostile environment and limited resources. Israel is a young country that serves as an example of the strong spirit, diligence, persistence and endless hope of the Jewish people".​

The Ambassador also mentioned the deep and strong ties between China and Israel:

"Despite our geographical and cultural differences, China and Israel share a very similar story. We are two ancient civilizations, experiencing parallel processes of national renewal. We speak the language of our ancestors in modern times and continuously contribute our innovation to the world in a variety of aspects. Israel and China share common values, such as respect for tradition, the importance of family, education and hard work...".​

"The state of Israel will forever remember China's goodwill in supporting the Jewish people and providing shelter for thousands of Jews being prosecuted during our darkest hours as a nation. While the rest of the world stood still, China, in the midst of its own battle for independence, found the kindness and compassion to help the Jewish people".​

The cultural program of the night was a performance by the classical ensemble "Musethica". Musethica is a nonprofit organization, founded by the Israeli musician Avri Levitan. It is active internationally and also has partnerships here in China. Musethica's main concept is to promote an innovative form of musical education for young talented music students.

The past few years included many major developments in the field of Chino-Israeli relations: the signing of our two contries' mutual ten year visa agreement, the beginning of the Free Trade Agreement negotiations and the establishment of direct flights from China to Tel Aviv by Hainan Airlines. Next year we will be celebrating 25th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between our two countries. We hope that our friendship and cooperation will strive and get stronger with each passing year!