Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is to meet Chinese counterpart Liang Guanglie to discuss Iranian threat, peace process and defense ties. In a sign of growing ties between Israel and China, Barak left for China on Saturday night, in the first such visit by an Israeli defense minister in a decade, according to (The Jerusalem Post). Israel significantly downgraded its defense ties with China in recent years due to American pressure, and Israeli companies are forbidden from selling weaponry to the Chinese military.