Since October 7, China has intensified its support for the Palestinians in the international arena while consistently avoiding any condemnation of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and the Houthis, framing all cases of escalation in the Middle East as a result of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. At the same time, China continues to maintain economic and diplomatic relations with Israel and has even strengthened them. The contradiction between the overt discourse and actual conduct illustrates the biased neutrality that characterizes Beijing’s...
The conduct of China and Taiwan since the October 7 massacre in the context of the Swords of Iron war reflects differences in their interests, objectives, and strategic positions with respect to Israel, the Middle East, and the international arena. While China is opposed to Israel and sympathetic to Hamas, Taiwan shows sympathy and support for Israel. In spite of the emerging clarity, Israel should not at this stage change its fundamental policy on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
