Israel hosts dragon boat race to mark 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties with China

JERUSALEM, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A dragon boat race was held in northern Israel on Friday to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and China.

More than 400 athletes from 10 Israeli teams competed in the event at Akko, a port city with thousands of years of history. The Akko Dolphin Dragon Boat Club won the race, which was jointly sponsored by the Chinese embassy to Israel and the municipal government of Akko.

"The dragon boat race is more than a competition. It has turned into a cultural carnival that helps to forge closer bonds between the Chinese and Israelis," Chinese ambassador to Israel Cai Run said, adding he looked forward to more people-to-people exchanges and fruitful cooperation between the two countries.

Yaniv Ashur, Akko municipality's CEO, hoped more similar events could be held to promote mutual understanding between the peoples from both Israel and China.

On Friday, cultural events such as martial arts, Chinese folk music performances, and Chinese calligraphy and painting, as well as tea art were staged simultaneously with the dragon boat race.