On December 3, Mr. E Jingping, Minister of Water Resources, met with Mr. Zvi Heifetz, Israeli Ambassador to China, in Beijing. Two sides exchanged views on further deepening pragmatic cooperation in water sector.

　　Minister E conveyed welcome and expressed gratitude to the Israeli embassy for its enduring support in the aspect of the China-Israel water cooperation. He remarked that China-Israel relation has been developing in a steady and healthy way since the establishment of the diplomatic relationship. In March 2017, two countries initiated an innovative comprehensive partnership, reflecting prominent feature and development direction of the bilateral cooperation in the new era. At present, China is moving towards an innovation-driven country at a faster pace. Water resources management in China needs innovation in the fields of  system, mechanism and technology in order to effectively meet challenges and support sustainable economic and social development. Israel is a global leader in innovation and R&D, and has taken a unique path of innovation in water sector.

　　Minister E introduced China's water resources conditions and water sector reform and development. He pointed out that water resources in northern China are scarce, and the degree of water shortage in some provinces and cities is similar to that in Israel. Israel has many successful practices in water resources management, especially in water conservation. Ministry of Water Resources of China stands ready to further cooperation with Israel by the means of launching high-level dialogues and implementing cooperative research projects.

　　Ambassador Zvi Heifetz noted that water is the source of life and the Israeli government attaches great importance to water resources management. Two countries practiced friendly exchanges and cooperation in the field of water resources, achieving many fruitful outcomes in water treatment, drip irrigation, seawater desalination and engineering construction, etc. China and Israel enjoy complementary advantages in innovation cooperation. Israel is ready to carry out innovative research projects with China and further upgrade water innovation cooperation. He also briefed Israel's history, development process, entrepreneurship and innovation.

　　Other issues with common concerns were also deliberated, including water saving, irrigation, agricultural development, China-Israel cooperation mechanism, etc.

　　Officials from relevant departments of Ministry of Water Resources also attended the meeting.