Haikou forges sister city ties with Israeli City Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut

A new sister city agreement has been forged between Haikou City, Hainan Province in China and Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut City in Israel, with the help of the CEO of Unique 1 Asia, an Israeli citizen based in Haikou- Mr. Yuval Golan. The new sister city agreement will bring forth significant benefits for Haikou in the fields of agriculture, infrastructure, medicine, business, culture, education, and technology, and improve bilateral relationships between Israel and China.

The two countries have several similarities. They are two of the world's oldest and most influential societies, both have strong cultural identities, and the modern nations were founded at almost the same time. Israel was founded in 1948, and the People's Republic of China only one year later in 1949.

Although the entire country of Israel is geographically smaller than the Chinese province of Hainan, (20,770 sq. km. vs. 32,900 sq. km.) and has a nearly identical population (roughly 8 million), Israel is a leader in technology and innovation. It has the second-largest number of startup companies in the world (after the United States), and had more companies listed in 2012 on the NASDAQ stock exchange than any country outside the United States, save China.

The Israeli city of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut was formed in 2003 by the merger of Modi'in and Maccabim-Re'ut. It is a modern planned city with high standards of urban planning. Environmental issues and future growth were taken into consideration from the early design stages. Large greenspaces were incorporated into the city's layout and comprise 50% of the area within the city limits. The long term projection of the ministry of housing is for the city to be home to 240,000 residents. However, plans approved thus far are for 120,000 residents.

Furthermore, the city infrastructure was well-planned as there are no visible power-lines or other cables above the ground, providing its residents and visitors a safe and beautiful environment.

The residential areas were built on the hills while the the education, entertainment and other facilities were built in the valley, making for convenience and excellent living standards.

The sister city agreement between Haikou and Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut has come about in large part due to the vision and hard work of Israeli citizen and Haikou resident Yuval Golan, who led a Chinese National level delegation to Israel in May. This Delegation of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries included members from Haikou led by the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Li Jie. Yuval also was instrumental in bringing and escorting the Israeli Consul General, Mr. Yaacov Avrahamy, during his first visit to Hainan in order to build strong ties between Israel and Hainan.

SOURCE: Visit Hainan