As a big country in the world, China plays an important role in world affairs and Israel looks to further enhance Sino-Israeli cooperation in all fields, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday evening.

Barak made the remarks in talks with Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, who arrived in Jerusalem Thursday on a week-long visit.

"Your visit to Israel is a big event in our relations and I believe the visit will further strengthen the existing friendly relationship between our countries," Barak said.

To promote bilateral relations is the common desire of the Israeli and Chinese peoples and the Chinese side will try its best to strengthen the relations, Li said.

Israel attachs great importance to the Sino-Israeli ties and Israel will adopt a more open policy to share with China Israel's technology and management experience, Barak said.

Israel also hopes to strengthen contacts with China not only at the governmental level, but at provincial levels, he added.

Barak also spoke highly of the progress China has made in the past 50 years, particularly since China adopted the opening-up policy 20 years ago.

Barak briefed Li on the development in the Mideast peace process, saying that he will continue the peace policy of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and push the process forward.

"During the election campaign in May, I promised to the whole nation that I will achieve peace with all neighbors. This promise was painful, but a serious one," Barak said.

The peace process has made some progress, but still faces some difficulties, Li said. But he stressed that China sincerely hopes the Israeli-Palestinian talks achieve results.

Peace is beneficial to all countries in the region and an early

solution to the Middle East issue will contribute a great deal to

the world peace and development, Li said.

To solve the Middle East issue is not so easy, so it needs the leaders of all countries in this region to make political decisions in order to realize a lasting peace, he said.

The two leaders also exchanged views on how to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the fields of agriculture, science and technology.