by Roie Yellinek
The Chinese responses -- provide some insight into the extent to which the American declaration will affect Israeli-Chinese relations and shed light on the possibility of movement in Chinese foreign policy towards the Middle East.
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 699, December 27, 2017
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: While
he was on the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to recognize
Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and start plans to move the US embassy
from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. On December 6, 2017, he made good on that
promise. Like media elsewhere around the world, Chinese newspapers –
which express the positions of the central government in Beijing – had
much to say on the matter. The Chinese responses cast light on two
areas: Israeli-Chinese relations and Chinese foreign policy towards the
greater Middle East.
On December 6, 2017, US President Donald Trump
signed a declaration that said, “We finally acknowledge the obvious:
that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.” In doing so, he overturned the
traditional evasion of US presidents of Congress’s 1995 decision to
transfer the US embassy to Jerusalem. Trump went on to say: “This
decision is not intended, in any way, to reflect a departure from our
strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace agreement…The United
States remains deeply committed to helping facilitate a peace agreement
that is acceptable to both sides.”
Trump is not the first world leader of late to
have taken up the status of Jerusalem. In his speech to the Arab League
on January 22, 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping said, “China supports
the peace process in the Middle East and the establishment of a
Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.” Xi reiterated
this position during the visit of Palestinian Authority President
Mahmoud Abbas to Beijing in July 2017.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also addressed the
matter. In a statement issued on April 5, 2017, it said: “We reaffirm
our commitment to the UN-approved principles for a Palestinian-Israeli
settlement, which include the status of East Jerusalem as the capital of
the future Palestinian state. At the same time, we must state that in
this context we view West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”
Why did Trump’s statement draw more attention than
either of those two prior statements? There are several reasons.
Trump’s statement, while recognizing the situation on the ground and
leaving East Jerusalem’s future reliant on Israeli-Palestinian
agreement, is innovative in that it refers to Jerusalem as the capital
of Israel and not as a common capital. Also, the two previous statements
were more declarations than action plans. Trump’s statement, by
contrast, took the first step towards physically moving the US embassy
from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
About Trump’s statement, Israeli PM Benjamin
Netanyahu said: “This is a historic day. It’s rare to be able to speak
of new and genuine milestones in the glorious history of this city. Yet
today’s pronouncement by President Trump is such an occasion.” Other
responses were sharply negative. Abbas accused Trump of “violating
international resolutions and bilateral agreements,” and of “reward[ing]
Israel for denying agreements and defying international legitimacy that
encourages it to continue the policy of occupation, settlement,
apartheid and ethnic cleansing.” Saeb Erekat, the PLO/PA chief peace
negotiator said: “The two-state solution is over. Now is the time to
transform the struggle for one state with equal rights for everyone
living in historic Palestine, from the river to the sea.”
Most countries and international organizations
opposed the move, while some remained indifferent. The Chinese media,
which generally expresses the position of the central government in
Beijing, devoted many articles to the subject.
The Chinese responses are interesting in two ways.
First, they provide some insight into the extent to which the American
declaration will affect Israeli-Chinese relations. Second, they shed
light on the possibility of movement in Chinese foreign policy towards
the Middle East.
Chinese reporting on the declaration came in two forms: quotes from foreign entities and comments by Chinese officials.
The Chinese media turned to many Middle Easterners
on the day of and the days immediately following Trump’s announcement.
Those sources almost uniformly concurred that the declaration would
severely damage the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians,
with some even warning of potential harm to the stability of the global
arena (as did Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Jafari). They
called for a boycott on the US and Israel and an escalation of the Arab
struggle against Israel, and even demanded that the EU recognize the
Palestinian state as a response.
In addition to quotes from Arab officials, the
Chinese media offered elaborations on the official status of Jerusalem.
Those elaborations were largely consistent with the Palestinians’
preferred interpretation of reality. For example, emphasis was placed on
Israel’s having taken Jerusalem by force twice: once in 1948 when the
west side was taken, and then in 1967 when the city was unified. The
Chinese media stated repeatedly that the designation of Jerusalem as the
Israeli capital violates international law.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shung
said: “The status of Jerusalem is sensitive and complicated. [China is]
urging all parties concerned to exercise caution for peace and
tranquility in the Middle East…all parties concerned should exercise
caution and avoid rocking the basis for the settlement of the
Palestinian issue, which may trigger a new regional confrontation. China
firmly supports the Middle East peace process and the just cause of the
Palestinian people to restore their legitimate rights and interests.”
In another statement, the Chinese Ministry of
Foreign Affairs said Beijing supported the unified struggle, led by the
UN, against terrorism, with the purpose of restoring order and stability
to the region.
The China Daily opened one of its
articles with these words: “In a welcome move to some and a
controversial move to others, US President Donald Trump is reportedly
expected to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital later this week. Any
such announcement has inflammatory potential in an already volatile
region.”
The Global Times, known for its
nationalist positions, took the same approach. In an editorial entitled
“Trump kicks the hornet’s nest, again,” it criticized the declaration.
“This latest Trump decision will turn to rubble years of diplomatic
peace efforts between Palestine and Israel. This also means the mediator
role the US government has been playing for years between
Palestine-Israel relations has hit the ground hard.” It went on to state
that “Trump’s action offers zero benefits for his so-called strategy to
‘go all out on economic development'”.
The editorial further stated that Trump believes
he and his administration can do whatever they want and the rest of the
world will stand aside. After this, the paper wondered, what might be
Trump’s next move? Will he use American power against North Korea? Will
he use military force to create democratic reforms in places and
countries that refuse to accept the American way?
The South China Morning Post reported
that following the Trump declaration, the Chinese intend to invite
Israeli and Palestinian representatives to a joint meeting to discuss
ways to reach a peace agreement. The article quoted Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi, who reiterated Chinese support for the establishment
of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. He added that
China would “continue playing a constructive role towards the
resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli issue.” The article pointed out
that in 2013, when the Chinese hosted Netanyahu and Abbas in the same
week, Beijing offered to hold a summit, a proposal that was not
implemented.
The central principles underpinning the Chinese
response to the declaration were opposition to US hegemony, one-sided
actions, and interference by one country in other countries’ affairs; as
well as an aspiration to keep the global system stable. These are
hardly a surprise, as they are in line with the tenor of Chinese foreign
policy for the past several decades. Beijing’s primary goal – the
preservation of stability to support economic development – brings it
down firmly against the declaration. The Chinese consider it both
needless and capable of prompting conflict in an area already plagued by
disorder.
The Chinese, who usually support the Palestinians
in their ongoing dispute with Israel, are continuing to do so in
response to Trump’s declaration. This is largely a practical matter: the
Palestinians are backed by Arab states that are large exporters of
crude oil and natural gas, and China needs those resources. Moreover,
Israel and China have developed a close relationship over the past
two-and-a-half decades that has come at no cost to Beijing’s relations
with the Arab world, so it sees no reason to make any changes. The
Chinese approach to foreign policy is to do business with anyone who is
willing to engage with it, politics notwithstanding. Trump’s declaration
is unlikely to change this.
The Chinese position in the Middle East at large
is expected to remain the same, and Trump’s statement should not lead to
changes in Beijing’s policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian issue. For
many years, China has had a special envoy to the region and has
occasionally raised the Israeli-Palestinian issue in talks with official
regional representatives. But the envoy never did anything beyond meet
with the parties. The Chinese approach is to allow the opponents to
attempt to resolve their own disputes, with Beijing getting involved
only if both sides express interest in such mediation. Recent statements
by Chinese officials suggest that that approach will continue.
Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital will have little impact on Israeli-Chinese relations. The
official Chinese view is that Israel is not, after all, at fault for
what happened – Trump is. In addition, the Chinese president, who stated
during the last conference of the ruling party as well as on other
occasions that China must focus on development and modernization, sees
Israel as a primary source of innovation that could aid his country. The
large Chinese investments in the Israeli high-tech industry indicate
that Xi and the rest of the Chinese leadership will not abandon their
relations with Israel so easily.
BESA Center Perspectives Papers are published through the generosity of the Greg Rosshandler Family
Source: https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/trumps-recognition-jerusalem-view-from-beijing/
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Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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