A screenshot of the International Forum for the 30th Anniversary of the Sino-Israel Diplomatic Relations on May 15. [Photo/sdu.edu.cn]

The International Forum for the 30th Anniversary of the Sino-Israel Diplomatic Relations was held online by Shandong University (SDU) and Tel Aviv University (TAU) on May 15.

The forum brought together 15 professionals and experts from 13 universities, including Peking University, Nanjing University, SDU, TAU, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who gave talks on the history of Sino-Israel diplomatic relations, the review and outlook on Sino-Israeli relations, Jewish and Israeli studies in China, Sinology studies in Israel, and Sino-Israeli cultural exchange and dialogue.

According to Fan Liming, SDU's president, SDU has established extensive and in-depth cooperation with Israeli universities in multiple disciplines and levels, and the establishment of the SDU-TAU Joint Institute for Jewish and Israel Studies in 2019 has further promoted and facilitated cooperation and interaction between China and Israel in multiple fields of humanities, academia, and higher education.

Israeli Ambassador to China Irit Ben-Abba Vitale said that the forum is of great significance to summarize and promote the Sino-Israeli humanistic exchanges.

Professor Fu Youde, director of the SDU-TAU Joint Institute for Jewish and Israeli Studies, gave a presentation on Encounters with Judaism and Jewish Studies at SDU to introduce the developments and achievements of the Center for Judaic and Inter-religious Studies, and the SDU-TAU Joint Institute for Jewish and Israeli Studies.

Professor Uriya Shavit, co-director of the SDU-TAU Joint Institute for Jewish and Israeli Studies, further emphasized the important value of academic exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.