[텔아비브=신화통신/] 이스라엘의 벤자민 네타냐후 수상은 24일 양국간의 외교관계 수립 20주년을 기념하는 한 리셉션에서 이스라엘과 중국의 관계에 대해 찬사를 표했다.

"우리가 지금 20년간의 국가간 관계 수립을 기념하고 있으나, 양국 국민들은 1,000년 간의 우정을 향유하고 있습니다."

그는 과거에 유대인 공동체에 대한 중국의 공평한 대우, 그리고 유대인 대학살 사건 시에 피난처를 제공하여 준 것에 대해 언급했다.

“중국인들과 마찬가지로 유대인들은 오랜 시간의 기억을 가지고 있습니다. 우리들은 항상 우리 친구들을 기억합니다. 암흑의 시기에 우리들에게 손을 내밀었던 고마운 사람들을 우리는 언제까지나 잊을 수 없습니다. 이에 대하여 우리들은 중국에 대해 감사의 마음을 표하고자 합니다.”

(이하 신화통신, 원문 참조)

TEL AVIV, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday praised the relations between Israel and China at a reception celebrating the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries."We may be celebrating 20 years of relations, but our peoples are now celebrating a thousand years of friendship," Netanyahu said.

He mentioned China's fair treatment towards the Jewish communities in the past, and the safe-haven given to them during the holocaust. "Like the Chinese people, the Jewish people have a long memory. We always remember our friends. We always remember people who extended a hand to us in our darkest days and we are grateful for China for that."

The prime minister said that the friendship between the two sides can further deepen. "I think we barely scratched the surface of Israeli-Chinese relations. I have no doubt that in the coming years we'll see a dramatic expansion of these ties," he said.

"We've talked about doubling the trade (between the two countries). Well, I'd like to see a doubling of a doubling of the trade. I think Israel and China together are a winning combination, " Netanyahu said.

In addition to the prime minister, several other senior Israeli officials attended the reception, among them ministers, former ambassadors and envoys to China and key figures in the bilateral ties.

Chinese ambassador Gao Yanping said that "Over the past 20 years our pragmatic cooperation has been booming. When we started our diplomatic relations in 1992, our two-way trade volume was only a little bit more than 50 million U.S. dollars. Now the trade volume we have in two days equals that of the whole year of 1992."

She said that "The further development of China-Israel relations is not only beneficial to both countries and the two peoples, but also very much conductive to regional stability, world peace and global prosperity."

"Facing the ongoing major transformation and adjustment in the region and in the world, the China-Israel relationship is now at a new historical point. We should continue to work together, grow together and succeed together in the years to come," Gao added.