WHEN Zvi Heifetz first made a trip to China nearly 25 years ago as a private citizen, Israel and China had just established diplomatic ties. He knew little about China other than being aware that it was undergoing significant changes.

The Chinese, too, had little knowledge and understanding about Israel.

But as the two countries celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations, Israel has emerged as the hot destination spot for both Chinese tourists and investors.

Heifetz, who came back as the Middle Eastern country’s top envoy to China, has seen the huge transformation in the country, and is predicting a further boost in ties.

“We started the relationship 25 years ago with lot of hopes. The reality is even better and has gone beyond our expectations,” the ambassador told Shanghai Daily during his first official visit to Shanghai last week.

“We will have lot of surprises for the (25th anniversary) celebrations, both in Beijing and in Shanghai.

“Our bilateral relations are in very good state right now. I will use all my experience, following my predecessors here, to further promote the economy and trade between the two countries.”

Born in Tomsk, Russia, Heifetz moved to Israel at the age of 14. He had just finished his posting as Israeli ambassador to Russia when he was asked to head to China. His previous stints were in Austria and the United Kingdom.

“One of my main goals here is to further promote Israel to Chinese tourists,” Heifetz says.

“Israel is a great tourist destination. You can look forward to an amazing vacation — history and culture, beach and leisure, as well as convenience and nice places to hang out — three in one.”

Only a few years back, Chinese tourists knew very little about Israel and rarely traveled there for leisure.

Now the number of tourists from China going to Israel has been growing at about 40 percent every year. The growth is expected to be even greater after Israel launched a 10-year multiple entry visa for Chinese tourists. The new policy to give free visa to group tourists is also under consideration.

“The 10-year visa is one of the most important agreements we have reached. In that way, we can open our country further to Chinese tourists, which is very important on people-to-people basis.

“Tourists can visit the beautiful country and enjoy our good weather. All these trips create more bonds and are helpful for future relationships, which is very significant for bilateral relations,” he explains. “We are investing a lot financially to promote Israel as a tourist destination.”

The ambassador, who travels year round, hopes to attract more Chinese tourists to discover and explore his country. He, for one, favors going back home to Jaffa, the oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo and a port city with more than 4,000 years of history, whenever possible. Like many places in Israel, Jaffa is famous for the biblical stories.

“Jaffa is a great example of the three-in-one (history, leisure, convenience) tourist destination,” he says. “It is an ancient city with great legacy and biblical references. We are near the sea with great weather, and it is a convenient place with lots of fun places to hang out.”

In addition to traveling for leisure, China has also become a major investor in Israel since 2010, with six major merger and acquisitions deals in 2016, including a US$4.4 billion acquisition of Israel game company Playtika by a consortium of Chinese tycoons including Jack Ma.

“It is great that Chinese investors have discovered Israel,” says Heifetz. “You are not the only one but you discovered us at a great time. We are a small country with few resources, so innovation is the driving force across industries.

“Israel is known for the high-tech industry, but it is also not the only industry where we are innovative and good,” he adds. “It is quite interesting to see many investors, including Chinese, who have come for the new economy and are also attracted to more traditional economy like infrastructure, medicine and agriculture, among others.”

In 2015, China’s Bright Food Group acquired majority stake in Israel’s food company Tnuva, making it the biggest acquisition in Israel’s food industry. It was also the largest overseas deal for a Chinese dairy company.

In recent years, bilateral collaborations in food, medicine and infrastructure have grown substantially from government level to institutions and universities between the two countries.

“We are more than happy to share our experience and knowledge with our Chinese partners. More importantly, we are also here to learn from you. We share a lot of similarities not only in terms of economic cooperation, but also in the fundamental spirits of the people. We share not only ancient history, but also modern development. We have so much in common that it is a guarantee for a great relationship ahead,” he says.

“My task in the future is to try to make these relationships even stronger and better, with lots of good meetings to look forward to. Some deals are probably getting done as we are talking right now.”

Q: What is the most impressive posting for you?

A: I once asked an actor in London what his favorite role in a movie was? He said it was yet to come. So for me, hopefully, China will impress me the most.

In a way, China is so important for Israel and the rest of the world that all my previous experience in other countries — as ambassadors to the United Kingdom, Austria and Russia and as representatives at United Nations and other international organizations — can be utilized to promote the relations between China and Israel.

Q: What is the best and worst of being a diplomat?

A: The best is the opportunity to travel and to meet many interesting people. You can learn a lot and you see different cultures and mentalities.

The worst is the same — you travel all the time. You are 24/7 diplomat with no private life and always away from your family.

But nobody forces anyone to become a diplomat. For me, I enjoy the good side over the bad.

Q: As a diplomat, you travel a lot, what do you take with you when you travel?

A: My wife! I try to travel with her whenever possible.

Q: What is your motto?

A: If you work, it doesn’t mean you are forbidden to enjoy it.