Business Delegation to Beijing - Embassy Visit

Our very first destination in Beijing was the Israeli Embassy. Opening the seminar with a talk with Mr. Ophir Gore, the economic attaché was simply the best possible way to set the tone and properly introduce us to our two week business seminar in Beijing. There, we faced in a concrete manner for the first time the tremendous business opportunities between Israel and China. ‏ We learned about the significant roles of the economic attaché , promoting Israeli exports and foreign investments in Israel. The job itself seemed to me as the epitome of a calling, a true way to contribute in a significant manner and to be personally involved and devoted to the economic ties between both nations. The sheer fact that Israel has stationed six economic attachés throughout China is unprecedented , showing the devotion and attention the relations merit. in fact, the Beijing office is the largest Israeli economic attaché office in the world, having two economic attachés present at all times. Simply put, the economic attaches and their excellent crew are the direct representatives of the Israeli industry's business development. Their advantage in the market is priceless (literally as well): offering their services free of charge, with government support which eases immensely on the be beaurocratic steps. Today, the trend of Chinese investment is consistently increasing, breaking new records each year. While most investments are in the High Tech field, it was interesting to hear about other fields of interest to China like HLS and Cyber - fields in which Israel could potentially be of great assistance. The business opportunities seem endless. In short, the sentiment in China towards Israel is very positive. The attaché helps Israeli businesses, foreign to the ways of the Chinese market to properly integrate and bear business fruits. It seems virtually impossible to succeed in China without "boots on the ground" and knowledge of the culture - making the attache's office an invaluable partner and asset. Mr Gore presented an interesting perspective about Chinese innovation in regards to the Chinese impressive and unique business models - Israeli companies could certainly learn from it, enriching the bilateral cooperation. Mr. Gore's lecture exposed us to the government's important role in the business relations with China. His background as a graduated cadet from the ministry of economics opened our eyes to a prospective rewarding career in a field of our interest, that is challenging and comes with great responsibility.

Following the attaché's lecture we had a brief presentation of the bilateral relations of China and Israel. The challenges entailed in building them, the opportunities that arose along the way and the many fields of corporation happening today. I was astounded by the way the bilateral relations have grown and evolved, and I must admit even surprised by the present magnitude and great variety. We left the hall seeing a bright future ahead for the bilateral relations.