The China–Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) was held this year, marking the twentieth anniversary of its establishment. Over the years, the forum has become a platform for China to increase its influence over Arab countries at the expense of the United States and the West. However, it has also led to Arab countries influencing China to adopt increasingly extreme positions in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The joint statement this year, which was made in the midst of the war in the Gaza Strip, is the most hostile and one-sided...
Upon the Hamas terror attack on October 7 and the ensuing war, it was the liberal democracies of the East and West that stood by Israel in its hour of need, with the United States taking the lead. Countries such as China and Russia, on the other hand, have chosen to cynically exploit Israel’s plight to promote anti-Western and anti-liberal narratives. As a result, they perpetuate both Palestinian terrorism and that of Iranian-backed militias. Accordingly, and as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ends its second year, voices in...
In the last two years, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has announced three global initiatives: the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI). These new initiatives are a means of bolstering the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party, with Xi at its head. More importantly, they reflect how China’s foreign policy has evolved and the lessons learned from its global engagement in the ten years since the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was launched. Due to the...
In March 2023, Chinese leader Xi Jinping marked several highly successful events. Internally, he was “reelected” for a third term as President, and externally, he brokered a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran – without any American involvement. These two developments coincided with the Two Sessions, China’s annual parliament meeting, where Xi passed far-reaching reforms aimed at increasing China’s economic and technological self-reliance in the face of Western adversaries. Judging by his remarks, it...
The visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia, which included three summit meetings, moved relations between China and the Arab world at least one step forward. Alongside signed agreements and partnerships agreed on by both sides, the visit had a substantial symbolic side aimed at projecting independence, consolidating Saudi Arabia’s leading status among Arab states, and enabling Mohammed bin Salman to demonstrate his leadership to his people prior to his accession to the throne. The Gulf states may seem to overstate the...
„In manchen Vorlesungen saß ein Vertreter des Konfuzius-Instituts neben uns und machte sich in einem kleinen Büchlein Notizen“, erzählte mir Tuvia Gering, der am Konfuzius-Institut der Hebräischen Universität Jerusalem studierte und später auch lehrte. Jetzt arbeitet er als Analyst am Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS). „Hunderte von eingeschriebenen chinesischen Studenten sind allerdings täglich in diese Art von Spionage verwickelt. Die wirkliche Gefahr besteht darin, dass die Eröffnung des Konfuzius-Instituts dem...
