China's Chief of Staff, Gen. Chen Bingde, is scheduled to arrive in Israel next Sunday for several days of talks with his counterpart Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, as well as Defense Minister Ehud Barak and other senior defense ministry officials. Security officials told Israel Hayom Saturday that this will be an important visit. "China supplies Iran with technology and weapons. It [China] is not an insignificant country it is rather a giant country experiencing radical development, and its influence on the world is growing. We must work with them," the officials said. Over the past several years, the U.S. has repeatedly asked Israel to refrain from providing China with advanced weapons and technology. Israel's official policy is to comply with the U.S. request, but reports show that Israel has at time ignored it. In July, Defense Minister Ehud Barak visited China and met with senior Chinese military and security officials. During his stay in China, Barak also visited military bases. "The mutual Israeli and Chinese visits are taking place within the framework of strengthening military and security ties between the two countries," Israeli security officials said.
