Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday for the first time in the history of relations between the two countries, addressing in particular Iran’s nuclear program, the Israeli presidency said.
The meeting by phone "developed in a friendly and positive spirit"the presidency said in a statement.
Several Israeli presidents have visited the People’s Republic of China since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, but this is the first time the presidents have spoken on the phone, the same source said.
The Israeli president has first and foremost a representative role and most of the executive power rests with the prime minister.
Herzog and Xi also discussed the "opportunities to strengthen bilateral relations between Israel and China on the occasion of the 30th anniversary [en 2022] of the establishment of diplomatic relations".
They also exchanged invitations to visit their respective countries on the occasion of the anniversary.
They also talked about "global and regional strategic issues", including the thorny issue of the Iranian nuclear program.
After five months of suspension, negotiations between Tehran and the other countries that are still part of the 2015 agreement (Germany, China, France, the United Kingdom and Russia) will resume in Vienna on November 29 in an attempt to reactivate the pact.
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