Members of the Chengdu media delegation watch a video on exchanges between Chengdu and Haifa, Israel. [Photo by Huang Zhiling/chinadaily.com.cn]

Lin said students at the Israeli university have expressed an interest in learning more about Chengdu.

"When I cook in my dormitory, the Israeli students show a keen interest in Sichuan food and they plan to visit Chengdu after I told them more about the city," she said.

Haifa encourages its residents to visit Chengdu so they can better understand their sister city, officials from Haifa Municipality said while meeting the Chengdu delegation.

Bracha Sela, secretary-general and foreign relations director of Haifa Municipality, has visited Chengdu twice since the sister city tie was forged.

"I have seen pandas twice," she said with a broad smile.

Almog extended an invitation for Chengdu businesspeople to invest in research and development at the Haifa Life Sciences Park, the country's first dedicated business park, and Matam, the country's largest high-tech industrial park.