Olmert's agenda in China: Iran, trade
(AFP)
Updated: 2007-01-10 10:04
Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert milks a cow during a visit to an Israeli-sponsored experimental farm outside Beijing January 9, 2007 in this picture released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO). Olmert arrived in Beijing on Tuesday aiming to promote bilateral trade ties and discuss regional and global issues of mutual concern. [Reuters]
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert kicked off a three-day visit to Beijing, where he will hold talks with China's leaders focusing mainly on Iran's nuclear programme and bilateral trade.
Olmert's first stop was a massive dairy farm built with Israeli technology situated on the outskirts of Beijing, where the 61-year-old premier pulled up his sleeves and milked a cow.
A senior Israeli official said the project "symbolises the type of cooperation the two countries want."
Olmert then headed to the site of the Olympic Village being built for Beijing's hosting of the Games in 2008.
After viewing the model of the village and the colossal central stadium, Olmert wrote in the site's guest book that "I am sure the Beijing games will be the most successful and a symbol of friendship and peace."
Olmert was later due to hold talks with Trade Minister Bo Xilai before meeting Premier Wen Jiabao Wednesday and President Hu Jintao Thursday for talks focusing on Iran, as well as the Palestinian question, Syria and Lebanon.
The visit, marking 15 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries, is Olmert's last leg in a recent tour of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to discuss Iran's nuclear bid, which Israel claims is aimed at acquiring an atomic bomb despite Tehran's repeated denials.
"Olmert is arriving in China for a round of very important talks during which he will press through the Iranian issue," a senior Israeli official told reporters on board the premier's plane.
Unlike his talks in Britain, France, Russia and the United States, Olmert expects to encounter little enthusiasm in Beijing for Israel's call to slap heavy sanctions on Iran, one of China's major suppliers of oil and gas needed to feed its fast-growing economy.
The Jewish state, the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, considers the Islamic republic its arch foe amid repeated calls by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for Israel to be wiped off the map.
"But we must prepare for the next round of sanctions against Iran in the coming months," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Even though it did not oppose a Security Council resolution on December 23 slapping light sanctions on Iran, "China, too, has no interest in seeing a nuclear Iran," he said.
"It is still very important to go to Beijing and spell out Israel's concerns over a nuclear Iran," the official said.
Although China has generally kept a low profile in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a recent surge in efforts to kickstart the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians is also expected to be discussed.
Meanwhile, bilateral economic ties will play an important role during Olmert's talks with the Chinese leadership, as the two sides are expected to sign two new trade agreements on Wednesday.
Trade between the two nations was worth three billion dollars at the end of last year, up 20 percent from 2005, according to figures provided by the Israeli embassy in Beijing.
Chinese exports to Israel accounted for 2.25 billion dollars in trade last year, while high-tech products made up 46 percent of the Israeli flow of goods to China.
Bilateral trade is expected to jump another 20 percent this year, according to the Israeli embassy.
Israel has in the past also supplied arms technology to China. However, following two deals that drew US opposition, Israel agreed to allow Washington to oversee the trade in this area.
During the visit, Olmert's first as premier but his second in fewer than three years, he will also tour the Forbidden City and visit the Great Wall.
On a personal note, Olmert, whose parents found sanctuary from Russian persecution in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin in the early 1900s, has branded the visit as a return to his roots.
"I have a spiritual link with China," he told Israel's mass-selling Yediot Aharonot daily. "For me, China is not just another country -- it is an important part of my family history." |
