Is China actively trying to undermine Israel?

Question

“There’s still a lot of discussing to happen here,” Kirby told reporters.

“There is no agreed-to set of negotiations, there’s no agreed-to framework to codify normalisation or any of the other security considerations that we and our friends have in the region.”

Fostering stronger ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel – two top US allies in the Middle East – has become a central focus of the Biden administration’s policy in the region.

While Washington has not commented on the specifics of a potential Israeli-Saudi normalisation agreement, US officials have said they are seeking such a pact. AD

But critics have questioned whether making concessions to move a deal forward is in the US interest and whether an agreement would include significant gains for the Palestinians.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/9/us-says-no-framework-agreed-yet-for-israel-saudi-normalisation-deal

Knowing that the U.S. is trying to normalize relation between Saudi Arabia and Israel, I am wondering if China is doing the exact opposite as the U.S. is its biggest geopolitical rival. Lately, China was able to broker peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which undermined Israel's security interest, and now the U.S. is trying to win over the Saudi to help Israel. Am I imagining things?

Answer 1

Although Israel may not like the peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, there is no indication that China has anything against Israel and is therefore deliberately trying to undermine Israel or go against its interests in any way.

China is rivaling the US in the arena of global influence. China is trying to become a vital country to global stability by becoming more involved in the relationships between other countries. This is one of the ways that world powers ensure their endurance - by becoming the centerpoints of global major peace deals and relationships of other major countries.

In terms of war, China wants to create a situation such that other countries will fear to destroy them, i.e. "if the US destroys China in order to protect Taiwan, the whole world would go up in flames".

In terms of economics, they want to become boycott proof by creating a global economy of countries which are not dependent on the US. China hopes that non-western countries will develop their economies by doing business among themselves, thus creating a situation where if the US boycotts one of the non-western countries, it will effectively boycott itself rather than the targeted country.

Israel, on the other hand, wants its great friend the US to be the most dominant country in the international arena, for all the above-mentioned reasons.

Answer 2

It may be a surprising fact, but both Israel and Iran have warm ties with China.

The emnity between the pair largely stems from the imbalanced nature of the ties Israel has with the US, which is an Iranian foe.

In Khomeini's pantheon, Israel was the "little Satan" to the US as the "great Satan". With the USSR, incidentally, falling somewhere in the middle of the scale.

Israel has long searched for a formula for peace with its neighbours, and it seems that with China both sides have found someone they can trust.

And everyone in the region is probably satisfied with a resulting reduction in US influence - including Israel itself, which will be less beholden to demands from the US which upset Israel's immediate neighbourhood.

Answer 3

Question:

Is China actively trying to undermine Israel?

Not trying to undermine Israel, but perhaps willing to. China's major targets in the region are Saudi Arabia and Iran, who are both important energy sources for China, who is entirely dependent on imports for oil. By Chinese "targets" I mean countries who's support and closer ties China most desires. It was quite a coup for China to get normalized relations between Saudi and arguably their greatest existential antagonist in the region, Iran. I think optimally China would like to be seen as succeeding where America has failed for decades while maintaining or even better enhancing, friendly relations with Israel. Israel who is also an important independent source of technology, weapons, and expertise for China. The question is whether Israel's value to China is enough to offset Iran and perhaps even Saudi's value to China? Many have made the calculation over the decades estimating and equating Israel's importance to their own self interests and come away disappointing Israel. The calculators too coming away with a diminished role in the M.E. By disappointing I mean voting against Israel at the U.N. or selling arms to Israel's would be antagonists, or failing to sell arms to Israel because others in the region would find it objectionable. These are all future potential problems, not what Israel, Saudi, China, or the US are focused on right now.

What is occurring now?

All the players in this conversation are secure in the knowledge that they have cards to play if the game get's rougher. Well maybe with the exception of Iran, who is entirely dependent on China for a seat at the table. Right now they are all playing the game.

China is actively trying to compete with / undermine the United States in the region by offering a different view of the future. China is presenting themselves as a power broker. Really unclear what their vision is for the region, perhaps we can assume it has China in some leading role, with a firmer hand doling out edicts from Beijing? If China can be successful, it highlights the difficulties the US has had in the region and undermines the U.S globally, which other than enhanced ties with Iran and Saudi are China's primary goal in the area. Which leads to more Chinese prestige, access, and bigger role in international affairs. Soft power grab at the expense of the US. China's would love to be seen by all the players as a trusted friend. While not upsetting Iran, Saudi Arabia and if they can Israel. In that order. China's wolf warrior diplomacy tackles the M.E. They're going to love doing business with Israel. Color me pessimistic.

What's in this for Israel and Saudi? Israel and Saudi, both traditional American allies, both sophisticated players when it comes to international diplomacy. They want to continue and enhance lucrative trade with China, but also want to rattle America's cage a little. Netanyahu has faced criticism from the US for his "restructuring" the Israeli judicial system. His announced visit to China in June is partially about responding and pushing back against that criticism.

Saudi Arabia relationship with the US has also seen recent troubles, such as the Saudi assassination of Jamal Khashoggi: the US response to that action was to criticize and de-emphasize their important relationship with Saudi. Also threatening Saudi's role on the world stage at least that's what the United States asserted a few years ago. Saudi has responded with a series of steps to push back against the US. Dropping oil production, which effectively raises oil prices as it looked to many that the US was drifting into a recession, was one. This also had the net effect of assisting Russia as stronger oil prices made an Embargo of Russian oil impossible. Saudi met with Russia prior to announcing their oil cuts. Which the United States really enjoyed. Normalizing their relationship with Iran and taking meetings with China are certainly further messages to Washington. The message is you need us and our role on the world stage is not yours to threaten. Perhaps you need us as much as we need you.

Saudis Give Middle Finger To Biden with Iran Peace Deal

These were Saudi sticks. The latest action by Saudi which your question is primarily about was the carrot. Saudi and the United States agreed just the other day on the broad terms of normalizing their relationship with Israel. Now nothing is agreed to beyond the broad outline, and it's very likely nothing will be agreed to. The Biden administration is even now trying to role back any optimism about an impending agreement. However, the public announcement of progress and broad agreement represent a rapprochement with the US after some bitter last few years. The deal hammered out by Bidden's national security advisor Jake Sullivan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the man deemed by the U.S. to be responsible for the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. That's also a message.

What does Israel think of all this? I don't think Israel likes Iran getting any achievement. So the Normalization with Saudi would not have been received well. Then again given Israel and Saudi have no official diplomatic ties, Saudi is a known player to Israel. I don't know if I would go so far as say trusted, but they are a country Israel has worked with productively in the past and one who Israel understands. That they too are an ally of the US makes them even more predictable. I think Israel is watching and ready to chime in when things get real; In the mean time Beyond minor corrections aimed at the US administration, Israel is interested in seeing what they can get from China while the party favors are still being handed out.

Answer 4

Israel was one of the first countries to recognise The People's Republic of China, after the communist revolution in China. They did so in 1950. This is one year after Mao Zedong declared the establishment of the republic. The USA did not do so until 1978. However, China didn't return Israel's favour until 1992 when they recognised Israel. This is four years after China recognised The State of Palestine. And in fact the PLO had opened a diplomatic office in 1965 which was expanded into a full embassy in 1974.

Given Mao Zedong's view of the communist revolution as a people fighting for their freedom it was only natural that he would view the Israel-Palestine conflict in the same lens: Palestine was fighting for its freedom after Israel was established on their land and bank-rolled by the imperial powers of the British Empire and then the USA.

In Mao's view, it wasn't a question of "undermining Iarael" but of asserting the national rights of the Palestinians which the British had also promised in the Balfour Declaration when they spoke of a "homeland" and not a state to be established in Palestine for the Jews and without "prejudice" to the rights of the Palestinians and others.

It's also worth noting that when the Zionist leadership were offered a homeland in Germany by the British war office once it was realised victory against Nazi Germany was in sight, they refused. They wanted Palestine. This would have made ethical sense in that one of the greatest criminal acts against a people - the Holocaust - was chiefly driven by Nazi Germany. It follows a principle of justice that the perpetrator of a crime pays. And not an innocent bystander. Andvin this case, a far away and inncocent bystander.

However, since China has established diplomatic links with Israel their trade ties have only grown. They are at present the second largest export market for Israel. The first obviously being the US given their strong political ties. Trade volume from Israel to China expanded from $50 million in 1992, when relations were normalised, to $5 billion in 2022.

In fact, this increasing trade - often of military technology - has been of concern to the US. In fact, in 2000 Israel cancelled the sale to China of an early warning system after being pressurised by the US - they threated to cut off their yearly aid, worth $3 billion.

Should one say that Israel "was actively trying to undermine" the USA?

Whilst the economic picture gives the lie to China "actively trying to undermine Israel", the current political stance of China on the Israel-Palestine conflict is one that is both sanctioned by the UN and the USA. That is the two-state solution. Thus it also undermines this accusation.

Of course, China is an independent political actor and has its own political principles. For example, it recognised HAMAs when it won the 2006 elections in Gaza, a recognition not given by the USA or Israel. And in 2015, it demanded that Israel not use Chinese migrant labour on building settlements in occupied Palestine. And in 2017, the then Chinese Foreign minister, Wang Yi, called the lack of "an independent [Palestinian] state" a "terrible injustice" in a meeting with the then Palestinian foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki.

On the whole, I would say that China's continued insistence on the rights of the Palestinian's is proving to be a thorn in Israel's side.

Sources: Wikipedia, Foreign Ministry of The PRC and others.