Chinese top legislator Li Peng 's upcoming visit to Israel from November 25 to December 1, the highest level visit by a Chinese leader to Israel, will make an important contribution to developing and promoting bilateral relations in the new century, according Ora Namir, the Israeli ambassador to China.

During his stay in Israel, Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), is scheduled to meet with Israeli President Ezer Weizman, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak, Speaker Avraham Burg of the Knesset of Israel, and other senior officials.

Moreover, he will visit companies in aviation and telecommunication and have a look at the agriculture in the country.

Li will be accorded great honor and respect, and the Israeli government will do its utmost to ensure the complete success of the visit to further promote friendly relations between the two countries, said Namir in a recent interview with Beijing-based media organizations.

Sino-Israeli relations have grown smoothly since the establishment of diplomatic relations seven years ago. The two countries have also maintained frequent high-level exchanges of visits in the past two years.

Israeli President Weizman visited China last April following the then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to China in 1998. The Chinese also reciprocated last month when Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian and Dai Bingguo, head of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, visited Israel.

This reciprocity reflects good relations between China and Israel, the ambassador said, adding that the two countries share many similarities such as having civilizations that span some five thousand years, surviving after repeated sufferings in their history, and a strong commitment to education.

Israel regards China as an important country, and pays great attention to promoting its relations with China, Namir said. Frequent exchanges in technology, agriculture, aviation, telecommunications and other areas promote mutual understanding between the two countries, she said.

As a friend of China, Israel is willing to introduce expertise in agriculture and solving water shortage problems in China, the ambassador said.

Namir, who has served as an ambassador for more than three years, leads an economic delegation to a Chinese province every three months to discuss cooperative projects with local counterparts. Namir expressed the hope that more and more Israeli companies will come and work in China in the years ahead.

With regard to China's role in the Middle East peace process, the ambassador said that China, which has an excellent relationship with both Israel and all Arab nations, will contribute much to peace and stability in the region.

Namir said she is optimistic about further the development of Sino-Israeli relations.