by Xinhua writer Chen Wenxian

JERUSALEM, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A seminar with the topic of strengthening higher education cooperation between China and Israel was held on Monday in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

An exhibition on Chinese higher education was held after the seminar in the university, and both events were co-organized by China Education Association for International Exchange and the Council for Higher Education of Israel.

These events demonstrate the close ties between the Chinese and Israeli academia and the high level of interest in further strengthening those ties, said Yaffa Zilbershats, chairman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC) of the Council for Higher Education of Israel.

It is the first time for China to hold the Chinese higher education exhibition in Israel, an important event for both sides to enhance cooperation in the sector, said Dai Yuming, Minister-Counselor with the Chinese Embassy in Israel.

Another exhibition of such kind will be held on Tuesday in the University of Haifa in northern Israel.

Recent years have witnessed flourishing cooperation in the higher education between China and Israel, including joint research, student and faculty exchanges, and cooperative initiatives, according to Zilbershats.

Representatives from 27 Chinese universities participated in the seminar and held the higher education exhibition focusing on study in China.

They discussed the efforts to further promote student mobility and collaboration on scientific research with peers from seven Israeli universities.

Zilbershats expressed expect for a growing number of Chinese students to study in Israel and encouraged more Israeli students to study in China, adding the PBC is seeking partnerships with relevant bodies in China to provide more scholarships for these students.

At the end of May, the PBC will sign an agreement with China's southwestern province of Sichuan which will provide scholarships for Israeli students to study in summer programs in the Chinese province, according to Zilbershats.

In 2012, the PBC initiated a comprehensive program to strengthen academic ties with China. The program provides over 20 new research grants a year for joint research via the Israel Science Foundation and the Natural Sciences Foundation of China. More than 1,000 scholarships to date have been provided for students and post-doctoral researchers from China.

Encouraging more student exchange and mobility is the key to deepening people-to-people exchange and inter-cultural understanding, Zilbershats said.

Educational exchange between China and Israel are flourishing and educational cooperation ranges from cultural studies to scientific and technological collaboration, said Dai.

According to Dai, the Chinese and Israeli universities have strengthened cooperation in higher education, including forming think tanks, holding international forums, organizing innovation entrepreneurship competition and student-exchange programs.

In 2018, more than 1,000 Chinese students were enrolled in at least 10 universities and colleges in Israel and about 500 Israeli students studied in China, which has increased the vitality of the relations between China and Israel, Dai noted.