Visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Chinese Premier Web Jiabao signed three agreements covering cultural exchange, export of Israeli citrus fruit, and sale of water purification technology to China. The two nations also agreed to allow Israel to open a third diplomatic representation in the southern province in Guangdong.

Highlighting the importance of China to Israel, Olmert said "China is the only other country in the world other than the United States of America where we have more than just an embassy and consulate because China is so important for the future relations for Israel in this part of the world.” Olmert has been lobbying with his Chinese interlocutors to take a harder stance against the Iranian nuclear program but Beijing with strong trade relations with Tehran merely said that it supported the recent UN Security Council sanctions to show “the international concern over the Iranian nuclear issue.” Chinese officials privately agree that they too have “no interest in seeing a nuclear Iran.”

As Olmert wraps up his China visit, his officials say that while sanctions against Iran was welcome, he urged that the world “must prepare for the next round of sanctions” in “the coming months” as Iran has refused to accept the UNSC charge.