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Arms Deal with China Denied

November 18, 1980
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Israeli officials today flatly denied a report in Newsweek magazine that Israel selling arms on a large scale to the People’s Republic of China.. Deputy Defense Minister Mordechai Zipori said the report was “absolutely without foundation.” He added that Israel has no commercial agreements with Peking “and certainly not an arms sale agreement.” A similarly vehement denial was issued by the Foreign Ministry spokesman.

The Newsweek report said some deals had already been contracted and another worth $2 billion would soon be secretly signed. It would be Israel’s biggest ever contract, the magazine asserted. The story cited “Middle East sources,” according to reports of it broadcast here today.

Earlier this year Israeli officials denied another Newsweek report that Yoacov Neeman, director general of the Treasury, and other top aides had secretly visited China. (By David London).

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