When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited him to be Israel’s ambassador to China in 2012, Matan Vilnai’s decorated career had included time as a cabinet minister, military general, and Knesset member. But there was one hole in his resum?.

“I knew nothing at all about China,” Amb. Vilnai tells JNS.org in an exclusive interview from his Beijing office.

To prepare for his current role, Vilnai embarked on an intensive six-month study program that included learning basic Mandarin, the official language of China. His teacher, Shalva Jin—an Israeli Jewish woman of Chinese descent—traces her heritage to the ancient Kaifeng Jewish community and made aliyah in 2000.

Vilnai says China and Israel “have become very important allies” in a relationship that is “always improving.”

“The Jewish people and the Chinese people are the oldest civilizations in the world. Both are well-connected to their respective histories,” says Vilnai, who notes “similar values” among the two peoples.

“In the writings of [the Chinese scholar] Confucius, you will find the ideas and values of our and their culture…the family values, the values between people. This is the very solid common denominator,” he says.

But while the Israeli and Chinese populations are strongly aligned at the “grassroots” level, the diplomatic front is not as rosy.

“It’s politics, it’s economic interests—it’s absolutely different,” says Vilnai. “Despite philosophical similarities, the practical interests of the Chinese government clearly differ from those of Israel. The Chinese must be aware of energy sources, especially the importance of supplies from the Arab nations (some 60 percent of China’s energy comes from Arab countries)….It is because of the energy that they remain on the other side and traditionally support the Arabs. The Chinese have voted against us in all the forums, including the United Nations.”

“China says Israel is the strong state of the Middle East—the superpower,” he adds. “They say, ‘You have to solve the problems by yourselves.’…I hope that [this diplomatic attitude] will be changed, but it’s a long way [off]—a very long way.”

By Maxine Dovere/JNS.org