Visiting Vice-Premier Liu Yandong has presented a four-point proposal to deepen and broaden cooperation between China and Israel on innovation in various fields.

Liu made the proposal while addressing the second meeting of the China-Israel Joint Committee on Innovation Cooperation in Jerusalem on March 29. The meeting was co-chaired by Liu and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In her speech, Liu said that initial achievements have been made in bilateral pragmatic cooperation in such areas as science and technology, education, culture and health, since the joint committee successfully held its first meeting in January last year in Beijing.

China has made innovation-driven development as a national strategy and such a perception is shared by Israel, which is known for innovation, Liu said, adding that the two countries have great potential in deepening innovation cooperation.

China and Israel should further strengthen the joint committee’s role in planning holistically and coordinating and constantly expand the scope of bilateral innovation cooperation, she pointed out.

Vice-Premier Liu Yandong shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the second meeting of the China-Israel Joint Committee on Innovation Cooperation in Jerusalem on March 29.

The vice-premier, who arrived in Israel on March 28 for a two-day visit, suggested that the two countries increase the complementarity of their innovation strategies and facilitate the incorporation of Israel’s experience as a “startup nation” and its technologies into China’s strategy of pursuing innovation-based growth.

Liu said that China will step up the protection of intellectual property rights, encourage local governments and enterprises to strengthen exchanges with their Israeli counterparts and establish a more fair, regulated and predictable environment for development.

Other proposals offered by Liu included setting up more industrial innovation parks in China in cooperation with the Israeli side, learning from each other’s useful experience, and intensifying joint efforts in research and development.

On the same occasion, the two sides signed 13 cooperation agreements in the presence of Vice-Premier Liu Yandong and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Among them was an agreement which allows both sides to issue 10-year multiple-entry visas to each other’s applicants, making China the first country to have such an arrangement with Israel.

In another major step to boost bilateral economic ties, the two sides agreed to officially start talks on a free-trade agreement, when Liu and Netanyahu met earlier on March 29.