H. E. Amos Nadai, Israeli ambassador to China, described this program as "a special and meaningful way" to celebrate the 18th anniversary of ties with China at a press conference held at the Westin Hotel in Beijing on March 18.

"We believe by operating on these children, we will really give them opportunities of a new life. Not only will their health condition improve significantly, but we do believe and hope that we will give them a chance to be adopted after the surgery has been performed," he said.

Explaining the connection between the program and the 18th anniversary of China-Israel ties, the ambassador said "the number 18 in Jewish tradition corresponds with life." Since each of the 24 Hebrew alphabetic characters corresponds to a number, "one and eight together make the Hebrew word 'chai' which means 'life'." "The Jewish tradition in Hebrew language has a saying – one who saves a single life saves the entire world," he added.

He also cited the similarities between Chinese and Jewish cultures and the long history of relations between Chinese and Jewish people.

Before the press conference, the Israeli embassy and the UFCH jointly held "Israel-China Pediatric Conference" at the Westin Hotel where Israeli and Chinese doctors discussed developments and innovations in the pediatric field.

Established in 2001, the UFCH is a non-stock, non-profit corporation which strives to improve the lives of less-privileged children in China. It is a philanthropic branch of the United Family Healthcare (UFH). The UFH donates one percent of its gross revenues to the foundation every year. It has set up hospitals and clinics in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.