On December 19, 2016, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming met with outgoing Israeli Ambassador to China Matan Vilnai.
Zhang Ming spoke positively of Matan Vilnai's contribution to the development of China-Israel relations during his term of office, and hopes that he will continue to follow and support China-Israel friendship in the future. Matan Vilnai thanked China for its strong support to his performance of duty and said that he will continue to work for promoting China-Israel friendship and cooperation in various fields.