Three Letters of Cooperation signed in a festive ceremony, multiple gift exchanges, speeches, hand shakes and smiles were the culmination of a day dedicated by the heads of the Israeli Diamond Industry to hosting a senior delegation from China's Panyu province – the country's largest diamond production center,

On behalf of the Israeli Diamond Industry, the letters were signed by Avi Paz, Israel Diamond Exchange President, and Moti Gantz, President of the Israel Diamond Manufacturers' Association and Israel Diamond Institute Group Chairman. On the Chinese side the letters were signed by Mr. Tan Ying Hua, chief party secretary of Panyu PCC and the chief director of the Panyu People’s Congress, who led the delegation, and Mr. Li Wei-tang, deputy chief of the Panyu District and acting mayor of Panyu.

The gestures were symbolic, the speeches were festive, but the prevalent feeling was that there is great substance behind it all, giving another significant push to the developing relationship between Israel and China's jewelry and diamond industries.

Gracing the event was veteran broker Gerald Rothschild, who flew in from London especially for the gathering between the Panyu and IDI representatives. Rothschild, a popular figure in the Israeli Diamond Industry, is considered a pioneer in the Chinese diamond industry. Today he is the only broker in the world to have a Chinese DTC sight (based in Panyu).

The main message derived from the visit, which will soon be relayed to all diamantaires via an information conference open to the general public, is that from now on, there is another legal and official entryway for rough and polished diamonds to be imported and exported from China.

In Panyu, diamantaires who do not have a diamond company registered in China can enlist the combined services of Brinks and WorldMart to do what up until recently could be achieved only through the Shanghai Diamond Exchange. The delegation also presented attractive possibilities to manufacture diamonds and jewelry in China and especially in Panyu, either directly or through local Chinese companies.

The delegation's visit at the Israeli Diamond Industry ended with a gala dinner sponsored by Brinks. The 22-man senior delegation, comprised mostly of government officials, arrived in Israel following a campaign promoting Panyu's business platform in Poland and Czech. The delegation is scheduled to head back to China today, after visiting the Netafim irrigation plant.