Maxine Dovere
JEWISH NEWS - Thursday, 01 October 2015
WHEN PRIME Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited him
to be Israel’s ambassador to China in 2012, Matan Vilnai already had a
decorated career as a cabinent minister, military general and Knesset
member. But there was one hole in his resumé.
“I knew nothing at all about China,” Amb. Vilnai reveals in an exclusive interview from his Beijing office.
To prepare for his current role, Vilnai embarked on an intensive
six-month study program that included basic Mandarin, the official
language of China. His teacher, Shalva Jin — an Israeli Jewish woman of
Chinese descent — traces her heritage to the ancient Kaifeng Jewish
community. She made aliyah in 2000.
Vilnai says China and Israel “have become very important allies” in a relationship that is “always improving.
“The Jewish people and the Chinese people are the oldest
civilizations in the world. Both are well-connected to their respective
histories,” says Vilnai, who notes “similar values” between the two
peoples.
“In the writings of [the Chinese scholar] Confucius, you will find
the ideas and values of our and their culture . . . the family values,
the values between people. This is the very solid common denominator,”
he says.
But while the Israeli and Chinese populations are strongly aligned at
the “grassroots” level, the diplomatic front is not as rosy.
“It’s politics, it’s economic interests — it’s absolutely different,” says Vilnai.
READ MORE.....
