Strategic Assessment

The visit by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Beijing last January did not create major shockwaves in Israel or in China, but it indicated a thawing of the frosty relations that have existed since Israel canceled the Phalcon deal in 2000. This is a matter of no small importance, since the increase in China’s presence in the Middle East and the international arena obliges Israel to consolidate its ties with this Eastern power.