On the evening of May 3rd, the Independence Day reception was held in Chongqing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. This is the first time that the consulate hosted an Independence Day reception in Chongqing. We have invited guests and friends from various fields in Chongqing and Guizhou who are our important partners in this region.
Seventy years ago, the State of Israel was established, an event which undoubtedly became one of the most important and historic milestones of the 20th century, and marked the return of millions of Jewish people from the diaspora to their Promised Land, after thousands of years of adversity.
The past 70 years of pioneer work have witnessed no small amount of hardship. Israel is home to less than 9 million people, covering an area of only 22,000 square kilometers; however we have built an energetic and innovative nation, known worldwide as the “Start-up Nation,” despite limited resources.
To our consulate, Chongqing and Guizhou are important partners. We have witnessed rapid development of bilateral cooperation and achieved fruitful results in innovation, science and technology, business exchanges, cultural and people-to-people relations.
In September 2016, Sichuan International Studies University opened the first Hebrew language major in Southwest China; last year, we launched a variety of events, including conferences and road shows in industries of healthcare, modern agriculture, and emergency management. Moreover, esteemed delegations from both Chongqing and Guizhou have participated in the Chinese Young Leaders in Israel Program initiated by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Last year was a remarkable year, which marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relation between China and Israel. Our two countries announced the establishment of an Innovative Comprehensive Partnership. Within this framework and under the Go West and One Belt One Road strategies, Israel and China will further deepen their mutual exchanges and cooperation in the future, and the southwest region and Israel will enjoy even greater potential.
Beginning next month, three additional delegations from Chongqing will participate in the Chinese Young Leaders in Israel Program. At the end of May, the Israel-China Big Data Technology Cooperation Exchange Conference will be held at the Guiyang Big Data Expo. A new direct flight between Chengdu and Tel Aviv is expected to launch during the second half of this year, facilitating further exchanges, cooperation, and communication between Israel and Southwest China in all fields. In addition, we plan to coordinate a B2B conference in the focused fields of smart manufacturing or life sciences in Chongqing at a suitable time this year.
Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress, Du Liming, attended this event. He addressed that under the lead of Mr. Lati, the Consulate General of Israel in Chengdu has been paying high attentions and thinking highly of Chongqing since it has been established three years before. It also has been positively promoting the exchanges and cooperation to be achieved in technological innovation, eco-friendly agriculture, advanced medical, water treatment, education and other fields. And a series of colorful cultural and artistic exchanges have been actively launched, which made positive contributions to the construction of Inland Open Highlands in Chongqing. The Consul General frequently visited Chongqing and actively participated in the major international exchange activities in Chongqing, which was well received by friends from all walks of life in this city. We are willing to continue to support the Consulate General of Israel in Chengdu, driving the cooperation for all the fields and realize common development between our regions.
This event also invited dancers from Chongqing Ballet, and they performed a dance created by the Israeli choreographer. The graceful dance and moving music displayed the blend of the two countries' art, and won the cheers of the guests.
In the cocktail dinner after the ceremony, guests were served with carefully prepared cuisine which was cooked by a top chef from Israel, Kobi Mizrahi, who had worked for the late president of Israel, Shimon Peres, as the chef of Israeli parliament. He was invited to prepare for this banquet in order to show presented attendants the authentic dishes.
The atmosphere of the scene was lively, differing from the rainy weather outside. All people raised glasses to celebrate the 70th anniversary joyfully.