The 2022 China-Israel Innovation Cooperation Week kicked off in Changzhou on September 5. The event is co-organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of China, the Ministry of Economy and Industry of Israel, the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, and the Embassy of Israel in China, as this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Wu Zhenglong, secretary of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, announced the start of the opening ceremony.

Wang Zhigang, minister of the MOST, said in his video speech that President Xi Jinping in January exchanged congratulatory messages with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to celebrate the 30th anniversary. Xi noted that the two peoples have deepened their friendship and the bilateral relations have achieved remarkable progress during these years.

At a new starting point, it is important to follow the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and put into practice the agreement of the China-Israel Joint Committee on Innovation Cooperation (JCIC), according to Wang.

Efforts will be made to support Jiangsu province and Changzhou city to further leverage their advantages in sci-tech and industrial innovation, said Wang, hoping that China-Israel Changzhou Innovation Park (CICP) will become a successful flagship project in China’s opening up and innovation-driven growth.

Hu Guangjie, vice governor of Jiangsu, said that Jiangsu was one of the first provinces in China to cooperate with Israel and will continue to promote exchanges and cooperation, bringing more tangible benefits to the two peoples.

Focusing on the development of CICP, the province will build a hub of Israeli innovation cooperation, advance the level of opening-up, create a first-class business environment, and provide better services for Israeli talent and investment in the province, according to Hu.

Ona Babewi, minister of the Ministry of Economy and Industry of Israel, and Dror Bin, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, also made speeches via video link. They pledged to encourage more Israeli enterprises to seek development in China and the province and promote new achievements in various fields.

In their speeches, Israeli Ambassador to China Irit Ben-Abba and Chinese Ambassador to Israel Cai Run also mentioned that innovation is the highlight and booster of bilateral ties. They hoped both sides can deepen pragmatic cooperation and expected Jiangsu to play a greater role in the innovation cooperation between the two countries.

Wu, Ben-Abba, and Zhang Guangjun, vice minister of the MOST, inaugurated the CICP Innovation Village during the opening ceremony.

A series of seminars on science and technology, industry, investment, intellectual property, education, culture, health, and finance will be held throughout the week.

The 6th Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest and the China-Israel Innovation Park Cooperation Alliance were also launched during the opening ceremony.