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China seeks to mend Israel ties despite Gaza conflict strains

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China seeks to mend Israel ties despite Gaza conflict strains
March 3, 2025
Article Body Text Natalie Liu | 2025-03-03 19:42:35 A survey revealed that more than half of Israelis viewed China as unfriendly, while only 16% considered it an ally. <h3>China seeks to mend Israel ties despite Gaza conflict strains</h3> WASHINGTON — China is seeking to mend ties with Israel after relations soured over China’s perceived support for the Palestinians during the Gaza conflict. However, analysts suggest Israel may be hesitant to embrace the reset.“Wars have a way of clarifying a great many things, and of reshuffling existing partnerships in profound ways,” wrote Ilan Berman, vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council, in a Newsweek<a href="https://ilanberman.com/27378/israel-is-finally-starting-to-see-china" rel=""> op-ed</a>. To him, this is precisely what happened to Israel’s view of China after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.“It’s clear that the People’s Republic of China has picked a side,” Berman told Voice of America (VOA) in a recent interview, referring to Beijing’s stance favoring the Palestinians in the conflict.While world leaders condemned Hamas and expressed solidarity with Israel, Beijing remained silent at first. China’s Foreign Ministry eventually issued a statement expressing “deep concern” and urging all parties to “remain calm and exercise restraint.”Later, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Israel to stop its “collective punishment” of Gaza’s civilians with actions “beyond self-defense.”For many observers, Beijing’s reluctance to condemn Hamas shows its pro-Palestinian stance.Berman, a Middle East expert who advises the CIA, State Department and Pentagon, said the world has yet to grasp the full impact of China’s actions in Israel.“Israel’s national security establishment has woken up to the reality that China is not a friend, and that its regional actions harm both Israeli and Western interests,” Berman said. “During Trump’s first term from 2016 to 2020, Israel used to be uncertain about whether China posed a problem. Today, it’s much clearer that China is a national security threat.”China attempting to reset the strained relationshipBeijing is now attempting to repair ties with Israel, Berman said, pointing to a meeting between Wang Yi and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at the recent Munich Security Conference — the highest-level contact between the two nations since the Israel-Gaza war.According to China’s Foreign Ministry, Wang highlighted the long-standing friendship between the Chinese and Israeli people, citing China’s role in sheltering Jews during World War II. However, analysts pointed out that during the war, China was governed by the Republic of China, not the current People’s Republic of China.Berman doubts Israel is eager to re-engage. “As the saying goes, the bloom is off the rose,” he said. “I think China will find that it has lost significant ground in Israel.”Berman’s assessment aligns with recent polling. More than half of Israelis viewed China as unfriendly, while only 16% considered it an ally, according to a<a href="https://www.inss.org.il/publication/china-rhetoric/" rel=""> report</a> of Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, citing a survey conducted in September 2024.That marks a steep decline from 2019, when a Pew Research survey found that two-thirds of Israelis had a favorable view of China. That number fell to below 50% in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and other tensions.Why China sides with Palestinians“I think Beijing believes that by criticizing Israel, a close U.S. ally, it can capitalize on widespread sympathy for Gaza in the Global South while also positioning itself as a challenger to the U.S.,” said Grant Rumley, director of the Great Power Competition program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.Michael Singh, the institute’s managing director, <a href="https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/why-china-taking-sides-against-israel-and-why-it-will-likely-backfire" rel="">wrote</a> that Beijing’s stance marks a departure from its historically neutral approach to Middle East conflicts. China, he argued, now sees distant conflicts as opportunities to undermine U.S. influence while bolstering its standing in the Global South.During the Mao era, Beijing was the foremost sponsor of the Palestine Liberation Organization, viewing its struggle as one facet of the broader struggle against “Western imperialism,” Singh said in the report.Simone Lipkind, a researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations, also believes that China is using this war to expand its influence in the Middle East while simultaneously reducing U.S. leverage. While Beijing likely anticipated damage to its Israel ties, it seemed to have decided the benefits outweighed the damages, Lipkind said.“Chinese social media and state TV are inundated with antisemitic content, including Hitler memes and comments accusing Jews of wielding disproportionate influence in the United States,” she wrote in an<a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/fickle-friends-sino-israeli-ties-buckle-amid-war-hamas" rel=""> article</a>. “Despite the Chinese government’s robust censorship capabilities, many of these posts have remained online, suggesting that the government does not find these narratives threatening to its current position on the conflict.”She also noted that China’s online influence campaigns have promoted the narrative that the United States is driving this war.However, she argued that China’s pro-Palestinian support is “mostly superficial and self-serving.” As an example, she pointed out that while the U.S. pledged $120 million in humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, China’s contribution was just $2 million — despite promises to increase support.“For now, China seems content to let the United States weigh itself down with this conflict while China offers rhetorical support to Palestinians,” she wrote.Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former U.S. envoy to Iran and Venezuela, also believes China’s support for the Palestinians is mostly rhetorical.“China’s strategy is to make statements in favor of Arab nations to maintain good relations with them,” Abrams told VOA. “But in terms of concrete action, China has done nothing.”The nonprofit news organization Truthout, which focuses on independent reporting and social justice issues, published an<a href="https://truthout.org/articles/chinas-ties-with-israel-are-hindering-the-palestinian-struggle-for-freedom/" rel=""> article</a> last year titled “China’s Ties With Israel Are Hindering the Palestinian Struggle for Freedom.” The article cited Eli Friedman, a Cornell University professor, who argued that the idea that China is interested in the liberation of Palestine is “extremely problematic.” China has attempted to “increase its influence as a world power in the Middle East region at the expense of Palestinians,” the article said.U.S. support for Israel remains strongWhile the U.S. relationship with Israel may vary with different administrations, bipartisan support for the country in Congress has remained a constant in U.S. politics, Berman said. “This support isn’t just from the executive branch, but from Congress, which fully backs Israel,” he said. “Both Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly support Israel and are committed to invest resources to ensure its success, recognizing its strategic value as a Western-style democracy in the heart of the Middle East.”Kerry Gershaneck, a retired U.S. Marine officer who specializes in Chinese political warfare and the author of “Political Warfare: Strategies for Combating China’s Plan to ‘Win without Fighting,’” also said U.S. support for Israel is nonpartisan.“Even in difficult times, the U.S. — even under the Biden administration — has chosen to stand with Israel,” he said. “Other nations have taken notice of that.”Although the U.S. and Israel do not have a formal treaty alliance, Gershaneck said their relationship is just as strong.“The word ‘ally’ doesn’t have to be written on paper for it to be real,” he said.The U.S. State Department<a href="https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-israel/" rel=""> describes</a> Israel as “a great partner to the United States, and Israel has no greater friend than the United States. Americans and Israelis are united by our shared commitment to democracy, economic prosperity, and regional security. The unbreakable bond between our two countries has never been stronger.”GNS Editors’ Note: This story was updated on March 5, 2025.To read the original story in Chinese, click <a href="https://www.voachinese.com/a/us-china-israel/7988611.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://www.voachinese.com/a/us-china-israel/7988611.html">here.</a>
Content Type Article
Language English
NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
Network GNS
English Title China seeks to mend Israel ties despite Gaza conflict strains
Embargo Date March 12, 2025 11:33 EDT
Byline Natalie Liu
Brand / Language Service Global News Service