On February 21 to 22, Israel's Ambassador to China Irit Ben-Abba Vitale and Consul General of Israel in Guangzhou Alex Goldman Shayman visited Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), a signature project of China-Israel cooperation in education.

The Ambassador was impressed by the energetic campus and its modern architecture. She was delighted to see the "seed" of Israel's top university grew and flourished here. "I see a lot of energy as well as goodwill and good intention on both sides. We all want this venture to succeed. It's like a newborn baby that you want to raise as a good, educated kid.

2023 marks the 31st anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Israel, and an important moment to reflect on the profound friendship between the two countries. "I can definitely think about the ceremony that you saw in the photo there in 2013, this must have been a big thing for Israel - we were going to establish a joint university here in Shantou! GTIIT is a unique project for Sino-Israeli cooperation. We are proud to see its development and achievements today," the Ambassador said.

"Since the establishment of GTIIT in December 2016, we have long been committed to fostering the relationship between our two countries through educational, cultural, and scientific exchanges. GTIIT is dedicated to cultivating international talents and building a top-tier international teaching team with a high starting point. Undoubtedly, it is exactly the profound friendship between China and Israel that lays a solid foundation for the prosperous development of our university," noted Prof. Gong Xingao, Chancellor of GTIIT and Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

During the meeting, the Ambassador communicated with GTIIT's Israeli faculty representatives in Hebrew, to know about their work and life in this "home for Israelis in China". "GTIIT would be a parcel of the excellent technological universities in China, and can really position Shantou as a good example of higher education in technology in China." She encouraged faculty members to cultivate more scientists and engineers, "We really want to create something that would be top-level that the students will be really willing to come and study here. It is very important for the government of Israel to see that these academic exchanges are fruitful, and they benefit the local people here and that they produce a high-level education channel for the Chinese students."

"Cryo-Electron Microscopy has allowed scientists to successfully obtain 3D models of biological molecules that play a crucial role in cell metabolism and it has allowed to know more deeply about the interactions of the eukaryotic cell with viruses and bacteria," introduced by Prof. Dganit Danino, Dean of Undergraduate Studies of GTIIT. The brand-new cryo-electron microscope at the Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center at GTIIT has varied applications in biomedicine, biotechnology, and food engineering, which received high recognition from the Ambassador.

"I felt so lucky to study at GTIIT, a campus with high-end labs and equipment. I am looking forward to my study in the Technion next semester!" Wu Fanying, a GTIIT Master's Student of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, shared her study experience at GTIIT with the Ambassador. 

The Ambassador has paid close attention to GTIIT's talent training achievements. "The graduates are going to Israel, some of them have gone to the Technion and some of them were accepted to the best universities in the world. That shows the level here is very high! This is a very good university for students to come and study here."

After visiting GTIIT South Campus, Ms. Irit Ben-Abba Vitale praised this new campus for its vitality. She planted a pomegranate tree here together with the management team of GTIIT, which symbolizes that GTIIT, the tree of friendship and education jointly cultivated by China and Israel, will continue to bear fruitful developments in the future. "It will be the place where the best scientists of China will prosper and bring this country into higher levels of development. We will do our best to push this through. And I hope it will be successful."

After the tree-planting ceremony, the Ambassador had a friendly talk with the students, to learn about their study and life at GTIIT, as well as their future plans. 

Mr. Alex Goldman Shayman said, "GTIIT is an important cooperation project between China and Israel and an integration of the two cultures. The faculty and students are like a family, and students will get excellent science and technology education and self-improvement opportunities here. I have no doubt that more talents will be cultivated in the future. We will continue to support the development of GTIIT."

Text/Photos: GTIIT News & Public Affairs