Matan Vilnai, Ambassador of the State of Israel to the People’s Republic of China .[Photo/ Provided to english.gov.cn]

China faces immense challenges in many fields, internal and international. However, at the same time, I can see a great effort to confront and overcome these challenges in a peaceful way and to constantly improve the lives of millions of Chinese citizens.

I listened with admiration to Premier Li Keqiang’s government work report, which placed an emphasis on reform and rule of law. Placing rule of law as a top priority and at the core of its government system is the way to ensure a resilient and healthy society.

I was extremely happy to hear in Premier Li’s speech that China is committed to the progress of the free trade zone talks. Israel is also fully committed to this important progress, and sees it as another step to strengthen our bilateral ties.

In the last year China stressed reform and regional cooperation. President Xi’s initiatives, “The Silk Road Economic Belt” and “The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road” aim at invigorating the international economy through connecting nations and people. These initiatives are wonderful examples of how China can contribute to the prosperity of the world.

I expect China to continue to face great challenges and confront them in the same peaceful manner that we have seen so far. I also expect China to continue to have a leading role in the international arena and contribute to the stability and prosperity of the world, and I hope to see China-Israel relations continue to flourish.

-- Matan Vilnai,

Israeli ambassador to China