The Belt and Road · Zero Distance | Israeli Love of a Chinese University Petatikva | City | Israel

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing/Jerusalem, September 4th (Xinhua) - Question: The Israeli Romance of a Chinese University

Xinhua News Agency reporters Wang Zhuolun, Zhang Manzi, and Yang Yuanyuan

"Although we come from different countries, we want to get to know each other, become friends, and become family. Only through continuous communication can human civilization continue. Each civilization is a star in the sky, and all stars shine brightly, making the starry sky even more beautiful."

On June 8th, Amit Portman, a student at the Israel branch of the University of International Business and Economics, participated in the "Chinese Bridge" World College Chinese Competition in Haifa, Israel. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Junqing

In June of this year, Israeli youth Amit Portman's speech at the "Chinese Bridge" World University Chinese Competition moved many people on site. Subsequently, he also amazed four audiences with his cross talk performance of "Announcing the Name of a Dish", dressed in a red robe, and ultimately won the championship in one fell swoop.

Portman is a sophomore student at the Israel branch of the University of International Business and Economics, and also a representative of many Israeli youth who aspire to promote business exchanges between China and Israel. In August 2021, the first branch campus of this Chinese university established in the Middle East region was officially launched.

On August 7th, at the headquarters of the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, teachers gave classes to students at the University of International Business and Economics Israel branch. Photo by Ju Huanzong, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

Building a Bridge of Friendship

Four years ago, like many young people in Israel, Portman, who completed military service after graduating from high school, did not immediately choose to attend university. Instead, he traveled abroad and worked, carefully planning his future path. When working as a salesperson at a cosmetics company in New Zealand, he often interacted with Chinese tourists, so he self-taught some simple Chinese.

On August 7th, Amit Portman, a student at the Israel branch of the University of International Business and Economics, was interviewed at the headquarters of the University in Beijing. Photo by Ju Huanzong, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

"I realized at the time that even if my Chinese expression was very limited, my Chinese friends would still be very happy and willing to continue chatting with me. They wanted to know which country I am from, how old I am, whether I have a girlfriend, etc. This touched me a lot, and I thought it would be great if I could speak more Chinese, which would provide an additional bridge of communication," Portman said passionately.

As Portman, who aspires to learn Chinese well, decides to apply to university, it coincides with the enrollment of the first batch of students at the Israel branch of the University of International Business and Economics. Upon hearing that this Chinese university offers undergraduate programs in Business Administration and permanent Chinese language teaching courses, Portman was overjoyed. After just two years of studying on campus, he is now able to communicate fluently in Chinese.

"In the process of learning Chinese, I not only gained a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, but also made new friends. Nowadays, whenever I meet Chinese people, I have a natural sense of familiarity, feeling like we have met before. My ideal is to use my Chinese language skills to bring Israel and China closer, as well as between Israelis and Chinese people," Portman said.

This is a corner of the Israel branch of the University of International Business and Economics located in the central Israeli city of Petatikwa. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Junqing

Matan Villenay, the school principal, served as the Israeli Ambassador to China from 2012 to 2017. He told Xinhua News Agency reporters that during his years working in Beijing, he witnessed China's rapid economic development and increasing global influence, and realized the need to establish a physical education institution to promote youth exchanges between the two countries.

"At that time, I was thinking every day about how to build a bridge between China, a vast country, and Israel. Today, I am grateful that I am still committed to it. The construction of this bridge project is complex and the road ahead is long. We have taken a crucial step and are continuing in the right direction," said Villenet.

On August 8th, in the central Israeli city of Petatikwa, Nethanel Wakknen, Vice President of the Israel branch of the University of International Business and Economics, was in his office. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Junqing

Knocking on the door of dreams

In the scorching summer of August, the faculty and staff at the Israel branch of the University of International Business and Economics are busy preparing for the new semester's teaching plan and administrative work. In the center of the corridor outside the classroom, there are red Chinese knots and posters with themes of "innovation," "dreams," and "international," radiating the vitality of the interweaving of tradition and modernity.

This is a corner of the main campus of the University of International Business and Economics located in Beijing. Shen Jizhong

This is a corner of the main campus of the University of International Business and Economics located in Beijing. Shen Jizhong

Thousands of miles away in Beijing, more than 50 Israeli students have embarked on their long-awaited journey to China. In addition to taking a walk around the school headquarters, they also delve into the streets and alleys of Beijing, climb the Great Wall, visit the ancient northern water town, and measure the unfamiliar and close eastern land beneath their feet. In addition, they also participated in the China Israel Youth Science and Technology Innovation Training Camp and visited the China Israel Changzhou Innovation Park in Changzhou, Jiangsu, to experience the vigorous vitality of innovation cooperation between the two countries up close.

"The reason why this Chinese university is highly attractive in Israel is because it provides opportunities for Israeli young people who are interested in engaging in business and trade with China to pursue further education. With professional knowledge and a blended perspective, it helps them achieve their dreams," said Nathaniel Wakkonen, Vice President of Operations and Finance at the campus.

This is a corner of the Israel branch of the University of International Business and Economics located in the central Israeli city of Petatikwa. Shen Jizhong

Wakkonen has also been associated with China for a long time. Many years ago, while studying undergraduate in the East Asian Department at Tel Aviv University, he chose to study Chinese and founded a company after graduation, dedicated to building a platform for Sino Israeli business cooperation.

"I can deeply feel that the willingness of business people from both countries to strengthen cooperation is strong, but cultural differences and differences in business models have formed an invisible wall. Our goal is to promote the success of young people from both countries in the future business world, who can have a deep understanding of how to get along and ultimately achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.".

On August 8th, in the central Israeli city of Petatikva, Vice President of the University of International Business and Economics Israel branch, Nethanel Wakknen, and Vice President Gadi Lavid walked on the campus. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Junqing

The vice principal in charge of teaching at the branch school, Gadi Lavid, is preparing for his new semester courses. The reporter saw that his lesson plans were densely packed, recording and analyzing many classic business cases from China and Israel. He introduced that this course will combine the content of management and human resources to explore the characteristics and differences of innovation models between the two countries.

On August 8th, in the central Israeli city of Petatikwa, Vice President of the Israel branch of the University of International Business and Economics, Gadi Lavid, was in the conference room. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Junqing

"We have a strong driving force and sense of mission, which is to enhance understanding among people from different cultural backgrounds, rather than believing in hearsay that is not true." Lavid said that in the teaching process, he and his teachers will focus on cultivating students' global perspectives, viewing problems, solving problems, and promoting cooperation from a combination of Chinese and Western perspectives.

Illuminate the path of the future

According to Wakkonen, the current faculty and staff at the branch campus come from both China and Israel, with a roughly equal number. Both Israeli students at the branch campus and Chinese students visiting the school headquarters can learn knowledge from two perspectives in the classroom, achieving the goal of exchange and mutual learning, and integrating Chinese and Western cultures.

On February 1, 2022, Chinese and Israeli students had a heated discussion at the Israel campus of the University of International Business and Economics located in the central Israeli city of Petatikwa. Shen Jizhong

Students from both countries spend their days together in the same classroom, not only gaining business knowledge from different perspectives, but also constantly sparking new sparks in the collision of ideas. Wakkonen said that many commercial projects completed through collaboration between Chinese and Israeli students are unique and creative, and some of them are moving from infancy to maturity.

The campus is located in the central Israeli city of Petatikwa, adjacent to the economic and technological center of Tel Aviv, and is an important hub for talent gathering. At the launch ceremony of the branch campus, the mayor of Petatikwa stated that the establishment of the Israel branch of the University of International Business and Economics is a "major development event" in the city's history and will have a positive and far-reaching impact.

"Israel is known as an innovative country, and its scientific and technological development level is at the forefront of the world. It is very important for Chinese students to understand their business model and way of thinking to broaden their vision and future employment, which is also of great benefit to our international talent training." Gong Jiong, the Chinese vice president of the campus, said that while promoting people to people and cultural exchanges between the two countries, the school hopes to take education as the starting point and make contributions to promoting people to people connectivity of the "the Belt and Road".

On August 7th, at the headquarters of the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, student Biden from the Israel branch of the University answered questions during class. Photo by Ju Huanzong, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

Wakkonen stated that China is "big and comprehensive" and Israel is "small and refined", each possessing characteristics and advantages that the other does not possess. This complementary potential makes the prospects for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries unlimited. Israeli students often tell him that after graduation, they aspire to go to China or engage in work related to China, because the future of the world lies in the East.