Communications

On November 29, Beijing appointed Xiao Junzheng as its new ambassador to Israel, signaling an effort to repair relations strained by its contentious response to the October 7, 2023, attacks. After three decades of fostering ties with Israel, China remains eager to access Israeli innovation and markets while projecting itself as an objective “friend to all” and a “responsible...

On Jan. 20, 2025, President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated amidst a great-power competition shaping US foreign policy. Trump recently announced his cabinet nominees, including figures known for their hawkish stances on China and others with significant commercial ties to the nation. This duality mirrors Trump's own ambivalence – on one hand, his campaign to "make China...

“Since October 7, 2023,” writes Galia Lavi, “China has adopted a clearly pro-Palestinian stance, largely ignoring Hamas’s attack in Israel’s western Negev and additional attacks on Israel from other fronts, while condemning Israel’s retaliatory actions.” This stance, as detailed by Lavi, could fairly be called pro-Hamas and pro-Hizballah. But last month something changed.

Dr. Raz Zimmt, a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, explained, “This may not necessarily reduce Iran's risk but could limit it to some extent.” “If the attacks are carried out by pro-Iranian militias based in Iraq, Israel might find it more challenging to justify further strikes on Iran, especially on oil and nuclear facilities,” Zimmt added....

Israel responded accordingly. Government statements expressing disappointment soon gave way to threats targeting Chinese companies operating in Israel’s ports and to flirtation with Taiwan, all aimed at sending a harsh message to Beijing. These moves were in sync with Israeli public opinion. Recent polls show that more than half of Israelis consider China unfriendly or hostile...

“Is Beijing finally striking a balance? Not really, but it’s a welcome change,” Tuvia Gering, a fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Atlantic Council, said. “Israel is still waiting for Beijing to condemn the Oct. 7 terror attack and Hamas, yet China has been too busy hosting Hamas in its capital and acting as its mouthpiece.”

“If the war hadn’t happened, if October 7 [the Hamas attack on Israel] hadn’t happened, the massacre and the invasion that we’re in, then remember that Netanyahu would have visited China,” said Tuvia Gering, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council specialising in relations between China and Israel.