15-09-2021, 09:37 AM
By RICKY BEN-DAVID
2 September 2021, 1:28 pm
Israel on Wednesday officially inaugurated a new port terminal in Haifa Bay, the first of two recently built private port terminals that are expected to fuel competition, decrease import costs, and present a boon for the Israeli economy.
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China’s state-owned Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) won the tender in 2015 to operate the commercial shipping facility for 25 years, an arrangement that stoked controversy in Israel and abroad. The project’s proximity to Israel’s submarines, among other issues, raised security concerns, especially after reports revealed that neither the cabinet nor the National Security Council had any input on the deal. The project also raised the ire of the US, which sometimes docks military vessels in Haifa.
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Chinese companies are handling major infrastructure and transportation projects in Israel, including winning the tenders to build and operate a private terminal in Ashdod, along with operating the one launched Wednesday in Haifa. Chinese firms are also building a key section of the Tel Aviv light rail system
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Dan Catarivas, the director-general of Foreign Trade and International Relations at the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel, told The Times of Israel in a phone interview that Chinese companies are operating large infrastructure projects all over the world, especially maritime projects, and he expects to see more such companies bidding for additional ventures in Israel as well.
In the face of US misgivings, Catarivas said Israeli governments have managed in recent years to navigate the geopolitical waters “quite well.”
“Israel is a small country that is very dependent on trade. The US is its most important ally but it also needs to look out for its own interests. There is a fundamental understanding that the US-China rivalry is here to stay and will accompany us for many years,” said Catarivas
......
Amid a US-China trade war that has ebbed and flowed in recent years under both the Trump and Biden administrations, Israel and China have seen warming relations and more interest in Israeli innovations, especially in medical tech, robotics, food tech, and artificial intelligence.
But US pressure has had an impact. It was cited as one of the reasons Chinese investments have “waned” after reaching a peak in 2018
......
Other reasons include: a change in priorities in the Asian giant, and new restrictions on taking capital out of China; the spread of the pandemic; and a change in the investment climate in Israel with regard to Chinese companies due to US pressure.
......
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-ina...r-economy/
2 September 2021, 1:28 pm
Israel on Wednesday officially inaugurated a new port terminal in Haifa Bay, the first of two recently built private port terminals that are expected to fuel competition, decrease import costs, and present a boon for the Israeli economy.
......
China’s state-owned Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) won the tender in 2015 to operate the commercial shipping facility for 25 years, an arrangement that stoked controversy in Israel and abroad. The project’s proximity to Israel’s submarines, among other issues, raised security concerns, especially after reports revealed that neither the cabinet nor the National Security Council had any input on the deal. The project also raised the ire of the US, which sometimes docks military vessels in Haifa.
......
Chinese companies are handling major infrastructure and transportation projects in Israel, including winning the tenders to build and operate a private terminal in Ashdod, along with operating the one launched Wednesday in Haifa. Chinese firms are also building a key section of the Tel Aviv light rail system
......
Dan Catarivas, the director-general of Foreign Trade and International Relations at the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel, told The Times of Israel in a phone interview that Chinese companies are operating large infrastructure projects all over the world, especially maritime projects, and he expects to see more such companies bidding for additional ventures in Israel as well.
In the face of US misgivings, Catarivas said Israeli governments have managed in recent years to navigate the geopolitical waters “quite well.”
“Israel is a small country that is very dependent on trade. The US is its most important ally but it also needs to look out for its own interests. There is a fundamental understanding that the US-China rivalry is here to stay and will accompany us for many years,” said Catarivas
......
Amid a US-China trade war that has ebbed and flowed in recent years under both the Trump and Biden administrations, Israel and China have seen warming relations and more interest in Israeli innovations, especially in medical tech, robotics, food tech, and artificial intelligence.
But US pressure has had an impact. It was cited as one of the reasons Chinese investments have “waned” after reaching a peak in 2018
......
Other reasons include: a change in priorities in the Asian giant, and new restrictions on taking capital out of China; the spread of the pandemic; and a change in the investment climate in Israel with regard to Chinese companies due to US pressure.
......
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-ina...r-economy/