Hu Jinbo, secretary of Nanjing University’s CPC Committee, met with Zvi Heifetz, Israeli ambassador to China, on Gulou Campus on November 16, 2018.

The two sides agreed on promoting comprehensive cooperation in the fields of scientific and technological innovation and personnel development training between Nanjing University and universities in Israel.

The meeting was presided over by NJU vice president Wang Zhenlin.

At the meeting (Photo: She Zhijun)

Hu Jinbo extended his warm welcome to Ambassador Heifetz and other visitors, who visited Nanjing University for the first time.

Hu pointed out that Israel is one of the important countries that have participated in the Belt and Road initiative and the focus of China-Israel cooperation lies with Israel‘s high-tech industry and innovation strengths; therefore, cooperating with Israel’s universities answers the call of “academic research serving national strategies.”

Hu mentioned that Nanjing University has close exchanges with many well-known universities in Israel and has signed inter-university exchange and cooperation agreements with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Bar-Ilan University, Ben Gurion University of The Negev, Tel Aviv University, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and so on.

In areas of humanities and social sciences, Nanjing University’s Diane and Guilford Glazer Institute for Jewish and Israel Studies is the first, among colleges and universities in China proper, to conduct systematic research on Jewish culture and has achieved important results with significant impact.

Nanjing University also led the establishment of China Jewish Culture Research Alliance.

In areas of science and engineering, Nanjing University co-founded the Sino-Israeli Planning and Innovation Center with Israel Institute of Technology.

Hu hoped that this meeting would serve to promote and deepen the comprehensive cooperation between Nanjing University and universities and research institutions in Israel.

Hu Jinbo meets with Ambassador Heifetz (Photo: She Zhijun)

Ambassador Heifetz, whose Chinese name is He Zewei, congratulated Hu Jinbo on his appointment as NJU CPC secretary.

He pointed out that we are at a time of vigorous development of the relationship between China and Israel. Last year, both countries celebrated the 25th anniversary for establishment of the diplomatic relationship. In October this year, China’s Vice President Wang Qishan visited Israel and thus pushed the bilateral friendship to a new stage of development.

Israel shares a similar history with China, and both of them are able to tenaciously overcome adversity and attain rebirth, he said.

Higher education, he stressed, is the frontier of cooperation on innovation, economy and trade between the two countries.

The Israeli Embassy and its consulates, he said, will continue to support the cooperation between Nanjing University and well-known universities in Israel.

In closing, Heifetz invited Secretary Hu Jinbo and the NJU delegation to visit Israel.

Source: Office of International Cooperation and Exchanges