Tel Aviv-Yafo（Israel）

Tel Aviv-Yafo（Israel）

[Overview] Tel Aviv-Yafo is the second largest city of Israel. Located by the Mediterranean Sea in the western part of the country, the city covers an area of 52 square kilometers and has a population of 451,000.

[Politics] Tel Aviv-Yafo is governed by the city council and the city government. The city council consists of 31 members. Both council members and mayor are elected by a direct vote in elections that take place simultaneously and serve terms of five years. The incumbent Mayor Ron Huldai was first elected in 1998 and reelected in 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018 consecutively.

[Economy] As the economic, commercial and financial center of Israel, Tel Aviv-Yafo has services and cultural recreation as its key industries and has gathered a large number of hi-tech enterprises and startups.

[Culture and Education] As the tourism and cultural center of Israel, Tel Aviv-Yafo boasts plenty of theaters, concert halls and museums, as well as the highest density of Bauhaus style buildings in the world. The city is also Israel's educational center with a lot of learning institutions, including Tel Aviv University, the largest institution of higher education in the country.

[Relations with Beijing] Beijing and Tel Aviv-Yafo officially became sister cities on November 21, 2006. In December 2014, the two cities signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in innovation, entrepreneurship, tourism and cultural creativity industries. In recent years, they have maintained sound official interactions and carried out fruitful cooperation in such areas as scientific and technological innovation, tourism, culture and city administration.

Scientific and Technological Innovations: In 2018, the Administrative Committee of Zhongguancun Science Park set up a liaison office in Tel Aviv-Yafo and held its unveiling ceremony in the city hall. Since 2014, Beijing has held the Beijing-Tel Aviv Innovation Convention in cooperation with Israel Innovation Authority as an annual event. The five editions of the event so far have attracted a total of 222 Israeli and 1,266 Chinese enterprises to establish ties for 1,881 B2B projects and 99 cooperation projects have been launched. The event has evolved into a brand name for China-Israel exchanges with international influence. At the opening ceremony of the 2019 Beijing-Tel Aviv Innovation Convention, Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission and Israel Innovation Authority signed the Agreement on Cooperation in Technological Innovation and R&D. Beijing has also sent delegations to participate in the Innovation Week in Tel Aviv.

Culture: The two cities have held a number of exchange activities such as concerts and photo exhibitions. In 2012, Tel Aviv was one of the first to join the World Tourism Cities Federation initiated by Beijing. In 2014, Beijing supported Tel Aviv's application to be recognized as a UNESCO Creative City of media arts.

City Administration: Delegations from the two cities have had mutual visits and shared experience on various topics, including waste disposal, sustainable urban development, water resource management, and water-saving agriculture. 

特拉维夫—雅法市（以色列）

【概况】特拉维夫—雅法市是以色列第二大城市，位于该国西部地中海沿岸，面积52平方公里，人口45.1万。

【政治】特拉维夫—雅法市市政体制包括市议会和市政府。市议会由31名议员组成,议员由市民直接选举产生,任期5年。市长由市民直接选举产生，任期5年，市长选举与议员选举同期进行。现任市长罗恩·胡尔代于1998年首次当选，后于2003年、2008年、2013年、2018年连选连任。

【经济】特拉维夫—雅法市是以色列的经济、商业和金融中心，主要产业包括服务业和文化休闲业。该市集中了大量高科技企业和初创企业。

【文化教育】特拉维夫—雅法市是以色列旅游和文化生活中心，拥有数量众多的剧院、音乐厅和博物馆，是世界上包豪斯建筑最为集中的区域之一。该市也是以色列教育中心，拥有许多学校，以色列规模最大的高等教育机构特拉维夫大学坐落于该市。

【两市交往】2006年11月21日，北京市与特拉维夫—雅法市正式建立友好城市关系。2014年12月，两市签署创新、创业、旅游和文化创意等领域合作备忘录。近年来，两市保持着良好的官方往来，双方在科创、旅游、文化、城市管理等领域开展了富有成效的合作。

科技创新：2018年，中关村管委会在特市设立联络处，并在市政厅举办了联络处揭牌仪式。自2014年以来，我市每年均与以色列创新署合作举办“北京—特拉维夫创新大会”，前五届创新大会共组织222家以色列企业和1266家中方企业开展了1881项次B2B对接洽谈活动，促成合作99项，已成为具有一定国际影响力的中以交流品牌活动。在2019年大会开幕式上，市科委与以色列创新署签订了《技术创新与研发合作协议》。此外，我市还派团参加了特市举办的“创新周”活动。

人文交流：两市多次互办音乐会、图片展等文化活动。2012年，特市首批加入由我市发起成立的世界旅游城市联合会。2014年，我市支持特市申请成为联合国教科文组织“创意城市网络——媒体艺术之都”。

城市管理：两市互派团组，围绕垃圾处理、城市可持续发展、水资源管理、节水农业等议题开展了经验交流。

（Source: Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipal Government）