Publications on Israel-China Policy Center - The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation

In her recent visit to Israel, Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Liu Yandong attended the opening of the second meeting of the China-Israel Joint Committee on Innovation and met with leading government officials. Liu and Netanyahu announced the start of talks over a free trade agreement between Israel and China; Liu stressed that since Israel is known for its innovative capabilities, it is important to promote cooperation between Israel and China, which recently began highlighting innovation-based development. A free trade agreement,...

In the course of the visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Egypt on January 20-22, 2016, Egypt and China announced a five-year, multi-sector cooperation agreement. This agreement injected substance into the “comprehensive strategic partnership” formed during President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s trips to China in 2014 and 2015. For Egypt, China constitutes an optimal strategic partner, as deeper ties serve its economic-security agenda. The cooperation with China suits Egypt’s desire to forge a sovereign foreign policy that proceeds on...

In late November 2015, the Chinese and Djibouti governments signed an agreement on the establishment of a naval operations support facility in Djibouti upon the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The construction of the base is no surprise, nor does it constitute an immediate significant change in Israel’s security environment, regionally, or in the major powers’ relations. Nevertheless, this infrastructure will allow China to continue to expand its naval presence near the African shores, take part in international missions, and accumulate...

The Islamic State burst onto the Middle East scene as an entity whose conduct and very essence challenge the existing regional order. With its military conquests in Iraq and Syria, its establishment of branches elsewhere in the Middle East and beyond, its state-like governance in the areas under its control, and the cruelty it typically exhibits, the Islamic State has become the focus of regional and international interest and concern. The articles compiled in this volume examine ways of dealing with one of the most salient military,...

Interest in the tensions and incidents in the South China Sea region has increased recently, with a focus on military actions taken by the parties involved, primarily China and the United States. The dialogue between the powers is conducted through public statements (and presumably through covert messages as well) between political leaders, ministers, and military commanders. Besides these official and public diplomatic communications, however, communication is also exchanged extensively through military channels and means. • For...

A long period of consistent economic growth has enabled China to amass colossal financial resources, making it a veritable financial powerhouse. These enormous financial sources have been harnessed by the political leadership for establishing China’s economic and political regional supremacy. For Israel the Chinese massive effort to assert itself in Asia and beyond represents both opportunities and concerns. The increased Chinese interest in Israel has already ignited a debate as to what degree Israel is willing to allow...

China faces significant economic challenges: a slowdown in growth, the real estate bubble, and government corruption are only some of the issues that concern the Chinese government, and the world is anxiously following the way Beijing is coping with them. Will Beijing manage to surmount the obstacles in its path and prevent an economic slowdown? While the task is formidable, China in the past has already proven its ability to act creatively and overcome complex obstacles. The pace of development in China over the last 30 years...

President Peres’s state visit to China, the first by an Israeli president in over a decade, occurs against the background of the current debate in Israel over Chinese investments in Israeli assets. Reports in recent months of talks between the Israeli food conglomerate Tnuva and China’s Bright Food over the sale of the controlling share in Tnuva, and reports of a possible sale of Clal Insurance to a group of Chinese investors, have touched off a heated public debate about China’s penetration into the Israeli market. One major issue...

A recent article in Newsweek reported that “according to a well-placed intelligence source,” in 2007 Saudi Arabia began to purchase CSS-5 (DF-21) ground-to-ground missiles from China. While similar reports appeared in the past, the recently published information is distinguished by its confirmation by an official – albeit anonymous – source, and by the revelation that the Americans knew about the Saudi-Chinese deal and were involved in it. The report raises many questions about the Saudis’ motivations, the implications of the deal,...

Turkey’s announcement that the Chinesecompany CPMIEC had won the tender for the purchase of a long range air defensesystem came as a surprise to Turkey’s NATO partners – even though prior rumorshad indicated this would be the decision – and was met with much disapproval. WhileTurkish President Abdullah Gul said that the decision was not final and thedeal had yet to be finalized and signed, the terms of the tender obligateTurkey to move ahead with China. Thus, it seems that it will take more than thecurrent level of condemnation by...