Simone Lipkind
Council on Foreign Relations, Jan. 25, 2024
“Given China’s response to the war in Gaza, Bibi’s public efforts to revive Israel’s relationship with China during periods of strife with the United States now appear short sighted.”
Leading up to Hamas’s October 7 attack, Israel was attempting to manage great power competition much like many of its regional neighbors: extracting benefits from both China and the United States to the greatest degree possible. Israel counted on the United States for military aid and diplomatic support but turned to China to further serve its commercial interests, especially in the areas of infrastructure development and advanced technology.
For much of the past decade, that arrangement has proven to be beneficial for both Israel and China, and Israel’s leaders have worked to deepen Sino-Israeli bonds. But China’s response to the crisis in the Gaza Strip and its perceived alignment with the Palestinians has jeopardized these ties. China’s decision to risk its relationship with Israel reflects its desire to leverage the war in Gaza as an opportunity to expand its regional influence while undercutting the United States’s, even if that comes at the expense of Sino-Israeli relations.
Over the past decade, China has worked to strengthen both its economic and political ties with Middle Eastern countries, including the United States’s closest and oldest allies. Beijing’s shift in behavior has challenged Washington’s regional dominance. Last spring, China brokered a diplomatic agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, a kingdom which boasts strong U.S. ties dating back to President Roosevelt.
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