Roots, Interests, and Fluctuations
Recently, Israeli research centers have been criticizing China for not condemning the Hamas movement during the Gaza war. China's Foreign Ministry called for calm and restraint instead. This has caused some tension between the two countries.
Israel is also upset with China because they support a two-state solution and have used their veto power in the Security Council to block a resolution that condemns Hamas. This resolution was supported by the United States. So, there's some disagreement there.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was supposed to visit Beijing to talk about improving economic cooperation. But now, it seems like the relationship between Israel and China might be getting worse.
The Roots of the Relationship
Let's go back in time a bit. In 1950, Israel recognized the State of China. But because of conflicts with other countries, they couldn't establish official relations until 1992.
During the Cold War, China and Israel were on opposite sides. Chinese leader Mao Zedong believed that Israel and Taiwan were supporting imperialism in Asia. So, they didn't get along very well.
On the other hand, China recognized the State of Palestine in 1988. This was a big deal because it was their first quasi-diplomatic mission in a non-Arab country.
Mutual Interests
They don't have a lot in common, but they do have some mutual interests.
Israel wants to build a relationship with China to diversify its export and investment markets. They also want to encourage Chinese investment in Israel and protect against the possibility of China becoming a dominant world power in the future.
China, on the other hand, wants help from Israel in areas like innovation, research and development, agriculture, medical technology, water desalination, cybersecurity, and social media monitoring. They also want Israel to participate in their Belt and Road Initiative, which is a big infrastructure project.
Differences
Even though China and Israel have improved their relationship, there are still some differences that cause problems.
The United States sees China as a global competitor and is worried about them getting access to military technology. So, they have vetoed some military and technical deals between China and Israel.
For example, in 2000, the US forced Israel to cancel a deal to sell radar systems to China. And in 2005, they made Israel cancel a deal to maintain and modernize drones they had sold to China. This has made it harder for China and Israel to work together in the military field.
The US also has concerns about a Chinese company operating a new container terminal in Haifa Port. They worry that China could monitor American ships and access their information systems.
Another challenge for China and Israel is their relationship with Iran. China is the biggest importer of Iranian oil, and that causes some tension with Israel.
