"The operation of the new port
is definitely a historic moment for Israel, carrying great promise for the
entire Israeli economy and serving the public interest," Edward Shapira,
consul general of Israel in Shanghai, said at the opening remarks of the
illumination ceremony.
"It will lead to greater
competition in the port industry, improvement and streamlining of services,
positioning Israeli ports on the top advanced rank in the Eastern Mediterranean
basin."
The automated container port is the
largest and busiest in Israel. In 2015, the Israel Port authority granted SIPG
a 25-year concession to run the port.
Construction started in 2018,
divided into two phases. Phase one was designed to handle an annual volume of
1.06 TEU, and is complete. Phase two, still under construction, will have an
annual container handling capacity of 800,000 TEU.
The diplomat also cited the fruitful
achievements China and Israel have achieved over the past 30 years, including
"trade and economic ties that rapidly flourished from 250 million to more
than 24 billion dollars in volume." That makes China Israel's second most
important trading partner.
The two countries also announced the
establishment of an innovative comprehensive partnership in 2017, which opened
a new chapter in the friendly cooperation.
Zhang Xiaosong, director general of
Shanghai 's Foreign Affairs Office, considers the innovative comprehensive
partnership to have brought concrete benefits to the people of both countries.
"The project showcases how our
two economies are highly complementary, and how Shanghai and Haifa found a
win-win partnership," he said.
"Shanghai and Haifa signed the
twin cities treaty in 1993, and have since collaborated in various fields
including urban management, trade, sports, and education. We look forward to
more and better collaborations with Israel in the future to further benefit
people from both countries."
Yan Jun, president of SIPG sees the
success of the new port a result of diligent work of people from both
countries.
"We are determined to turn the
new port into the most advanced smart and green hub in the Mediterranean,
making greater contributions to the economic and social development of Israel
and the trade and economic ties between the two countries," he concluded.