Two high-level American delegations reached out to Israeli business leaders during visits to the country last week, as they explored cooperation in renewable energy, aerospace, medicine and other technologies.
The American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) brought to Israel 25 heads of business representative bodies from American and Canadian cities, including Atlanta, Denver, San Jose and Ottawa.
A separate group of seven elected officials from New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Hawaii was also visiting the country. Members of both delegations noted that they see endless opportunities for business collaboration with Israel, and spoke with admiration of the innovations they saw during their visit.
The delegation’s visit comes at a time of declining US influence in the Israeli economy. According to the FICC, the United States’ share in Israeli trade dropped from 21% in 2006 to 19% in 2010, while the share of Asian countries rose from 17% in 2006 to 21% in 2010.
The trade data show that in 2006 total bilateral trade between Israel and the US was US$14.8 billion compared to US$12 billion with Asian countries. In 2010 bilateral trade with Asian countries was US$19.8 billion, up 65% in 5 years.
