On Nov. 15, Israeli Ambassador to China Matan Vilnai granted an exclusive interview to CNTV reporter Li Shouen to explain Israeli government’s new policy that grants 10-year visas to Chinese visitors. He also highlights some benefits for Chinese business people who are considering investing in Israel, as well as describing special places to visit for Chinese tourists.

Li Shouen (hereafter Li): Good afternoon, Ambassador Matan Vilnai. I think we might say that the official launching of the Ten Years Visa can be marked as a milestone of the bilateral relations between China and Israel. So, which sectors do you think would be further boosted by this policy?

Matan Vilnai (hereafter Vilnai): First of all, you're absolutely right, it’s a milestone in the relations between Israel and China.

You remember that next year will be the 25th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. You have to remember Israel was one of the first state in the Middle East that recognized China back to the 50s, but was the last to have diplomatic relations. That’s happened like this.

And next year we’re going to have the 25th anniversary of relations and this changing in the visa policy is a milestone in our relations.

Everyone can benefit from this: Chinese side, Israeli side, business people, academia, university students... Everyone that used to work in China/Israel will benefit from this.

And it will be very easy to visit Israel, very easy to visit China and for us it’s very important, therefore we have this celebration.

When I came to China, after several weeks I asked the Chinese policy to have some adjustments: once it used to take 3-4 weeks to get a visa,now it’s days - it’s not weeks - it’s just in a week. And it’s very easy to do in Tel Aviv and in Beijing.

And now we have the 10-years visa. It will be very important for both sides. Everyone will benefit from this.

Li: Israel has enjoyed a reputation for promoting advances in science and technology. What are some of the latest innovations and technology trends that are coming out of the country?

Vilnai: I don’t know, you won’t believe it, every week I find three new topics that you can’t think about them in agro-tech, in healthcare, in every field.It’s interesting because it’s not from a planning by someone, it’s the spirit of the Israeli people.

That innovation is part of their life and it’s obvious for them, they have to innovate all of the time and there are so many new ideas in medical, in agro-tech, information, in every aspect.You see a lot of new technology in small issues, but it’s wonderful to see, so there is no straight answer to this. It’s everywhere, really everywhere.