Senior officials from major Chinese telecommunication corporation ZTE visited Israel recently for meetings with startup entrepreneurs and representatives of high-tech companies, in a bid to invest in the country or even acquire Israeli technologies, Yedioth Ahronoth has learned.

The delegation was headed by Zhu Jinyun, the company's senior vice president for technology issues.

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Ilan Greenbaum, CEO of Eurocom which imports ZTE devices, helped organize the visit and connect between the delegation members and Israeli startup entrepreneurs in their early stages in the cellular, cloud technology and IT fields, at the request of the Chinese officials.

Currently, ZTE has no activities in Israel apart from the imported devices, and the visit signals that the company is seriously looking into investing in Israel in several fields. The options considered include cooperating with startup companies, making investments and acquiring technologies and perhaps even companies.

ZTE'S archrival from China, Huawei, already operates a development center in Israel.

The Chinese delegation also met with Minister of Science, Technology and Space Yaakov Peri, who expressed his confidence in the possibilities for cooperation.

Meanwhile, Yorihisa Shiokawa, managing executive officer and regional head for Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa at Panasonic, led a delegation of senior officials from the corporation which arrived in Israel last Thursday. He met with senior businesspeople, chain managers and marketers, as well as startup companies which presented him with their developments.