After meeting China’s premier, the Israeli leader says he was positively surprised by Beijing’s strong position against Iran’s nuclear escalation. Both countries sign trade deals.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – China’s position on Iran’s nuclear programme "positively surprised" Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who discussed the issue with his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao.
The two met for nearly an hour and a half during which the Israeli said he “was positively surprised by the things I heard. China made it clear that it opposed an Iran with a nuclear bomb”.
“It is very important for Israel to have good, friendly and extensive relations with [China],” he added.
Mr Wen welcomed the Israeli leader and spoke of his “historical linkage” with China, referring to the fact that Mr Olmert's parents fled to China to escape anti-Semitic persecution in Russia in the early 1900s, settling in the north-eastern city of Harbin.
The meeting took place on the last of Mr Olmert’s three-day visit, and marks the two countries' 15-year history of diplomatic relations.
It is also Mr Olmert’s last leg on a trip that included a visit to the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The Israeli leader held talks with leaders in the United Kingdom, Russia, France and the United States to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme, which Tehran is ostensibly building for peaceful purposes but which could enable it to develop a nuclear device.
Aides said Mr Wen and Mr Olmert signed agreements on protocols for the import of Israeli citrus fruit and water purification technology.
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