Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Thursday called for closer cooperation between Israel and China in various fields in face of threats posed by extremism in the Middle East, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

"China has an important voice on the international stage and especially in our region, which suffers from war and ongoing hostility," Rivlin told a reception celebrating the 66th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The Israeli president described friendship between Israel and China as "the best example with shared understanding and mutual respect that we can truly achieve great things."

Rivlin said he is very proud of cooperation between the Israeli and Chinese governments in areas such as the environment, agriculture and energy.

In his speech, Chinese Ambassador Zhan Yongxin said that the mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and Israeli peoples are injecting more vitality into the sustainable development of bilateral relations.

Source: MENA