IDF chief Gantz to make China visit
Trip seen as sign of strengthening ties between Jerusalem and Beijing
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IDF Chief of the General Staff Maj. Gen. Benny Gantz, center, participates in a Memorial Day Ceremony, April 25, 2012. (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/Flash90)
JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli official says the country’s military chief of staff will be making an official visit to China in a sign of warming security ties between the countries.
The military official said Thursday that Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz will leave for China soon but would not give a date. He spoke on condition of anonymity according to protocol.
China is a top Israeli trading partner and relations between the two have been good. But ties suffered over the last decade when the U.S scuttled deals for reconnaissance aircraft to Beijing.
An Israeli ban on arms sales to China remains intact
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak visited China in 2011, the first such visit in a decade. Chinese chief of staff Chen Bingde visited Israel soon after.
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