by Dr. George N. Tzogopoulos
The relationship between China and Israel is based largely on harmonious economic cooperation, although security implications cannot be ignored as the Belt and Road Initiative is implemented.
Chinese Navy congratulated by Israeli Navy upon docking at Haifa port,
photo via IDF Flickr
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 997, November 5, 2018
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The
relationship between China and Israel is based largely on harmonious
economic cooperation, although security implications cannot be ignored
as the Belt and Road Initiative is implemented. It can be argued that
China is interested in playing a risky game in the region that goes
beyond economics. Still, the two countries can look for new, original
fields in which to collaborate. Jerusalem’s experience of remembering
the Holocaust and combating deniers might be useful with respect to
Beijing’s remembrance of the Nanjing Massacre.
Chinese VP Wang Qishan, who came to Israel at the
end of October, was the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Israel
since 2000. The visit was indicative of the Chinese government’s
interest in bolstering Beijing’s relationship with Jerusalem.
Innovation is key to the relationship. President
Xi Jinping’s vision is to develop his country into a world leader in
science and technology as it strives for prosperity and rejuvenation.
Foreign experience and know-how are therefore needed. Wang Qishan and
Benjamin Netanyahu co-chaired the fourth joint committee on innovation,
which was established four years ago to facilitate communication among
ministries, government agencies, universities, and research centers.
From an Israeli perspective, China is an important
destination for its exports, a source for incoming tourism, and an
investor. Last year, bilateral trade volume (including Hong Kong) was
circa $16 billion. Figures from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
show an upward trend in 2018. From January until September, bilateral
trade volume reached $14.1 billion, in comparison to $12.1 billion in
the same period in 2017. As far as tourism is concerned, approximately
114,000 Chinese visited Israel in 2017, an increase of 41% over 2016.
Estimates for 2018 are positive despite a sharp decrease in arrivals in
the first months of the year. (This is largely attributed to unrest
along the Gaza-Israel border and Chinese concerns about safety following
the decision by Donald Trump to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.)
Sino-Israeli relations are also flourishing in the
sector of infrastructure works. Several Chinese companies have already
invested or will be investing in major projects. China Civil Engineering
Construction Corporation (CCECC), for instance, participated in the
construction of the Carmel series of road tunnels in Haifa. China
Railway Tunnel Group (CRTG) won a bid to help build the first light rail
system in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Last year, China and Israel
signed a housing construction agreement. Chinese companies are also
involved in the construction or management of Israeli ports. China
Harbors Pan Mediterranean Engineering Company (PMEC) was chosen in 2014
to construct the new port of Ashdod on the Mediterranean. A year later,
Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) won a tender to run Haifa Port
for 25 years beginning in 2021.
The warming of Sino-Israeli ties and the
involvement of Chinese companies in Israeli infrastructure entails a
degree of security risk. The transfer of military technology from Israel
to China is one area of concern. Several deals were canceled a few
years ago, mainly in response to American pressure.
Currently, security concerns are centering around
the possibility that China might collect sensitive information and
intelligence from civilian systems when, for example, SIPG undertakes
the management of Haifa Port. While the Israeli government is able to
protect key industries and strategic assets, it is not ignoring
recommendations for a more comprehensive review mechanism regarding
foreign investments.
In addition, China’s expanding presence in Israel –
and in other Middle Eastern countries through which the Belt and Road
Initiative will pass – is generating debate about possible
repercussions. Most Western scholars see a geopolitical vacuum resulting
from the American pivot to Asia that could be filled by China. At first
glance, such a development would not appear to favor Jerusalem, because
Beijing supports the Palestinian cause. During his visit, Wang Qishan
went to Ramallah, met with Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah, and called for
concerted global efforts to push for a settlement on the basis of a
two-state solution. The two sides are expanding their cooperation in the
framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Sino-Palestinian trade
volume reached $69.28 million in 2017, up 16.2% in comparison to 2016.
Generally speaking, China wants to move forward on
the peace process. In July 2017, Xi hosted Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing and
revealed a four-point peace plan. This plan is regularly used by the
Chinese delegation at the UN as a reference point. Proactive
intervention is not, however, on Beijing’s agenda. It prefers to keep
its distance and let others take on the onus of mediating rather than
invest its own diplomatic capital. China’s priority is the successful
realization of the Belt and Road Initiative, in which Israel, several
Arab countries, and the Palestinians are all participating. It is
premature to say whether the initiative will turn out to be an
integration mechanism to foster peace.
China and Israel are very different in terms of
demography and geopolitical orientation, but have found fields in which
they can cooperate to mutual advantage. Although an emphasis is placed
on economic and security ramifications, culture and history cannot be
sidelined. Similarities between the civilizations, as developed in East
Asia’s Chengdu Valley and Mesopotamia, are characteristic. A relevant
international exhibition, entitled “Bronze Age Mesopotamia and the
Chengdu Plain,” is currently being shown at Sichuan University Museum.
Objects displayed include artifacts from the Bible Lands Museum in
Jerusalem. Moreover, the historical relationship among Jews, China, and
the ancient Silk Road is starting to be explored.
China’s stance vis-à-vis the Jewish people during
the Nazi horrors deserves particular attention. When Netanyahu visited
Shanghai in 2013, he hailed the city for having been a haven for Jews
fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. Indeed, Shanghai
received more than 25,000 Jewish refugees from Europe. This historical
experience can be linked to the theme of Holocaust education in China.
The country is keen to learn more and is drawing on Israeli lessons
about how to remember the Holocaust and combat deniers. By applying
these lessons to its remembrance of the Nanjing Massacre, China can
honor its past and outline its contribution to peace during WWII.
Dr George N. Tzogopoulos is a BESA Research Associate, Lecturer at the Democritus University of Thrace, and Visiting Lecturer at the European Institute of Nice.
BESA Center Perspectives Papers are published through the generosity of the Greg Rosshandler Family
Dr. George N. Tzogopoulos (Ph.D. Loughborough University) specializes in media and international relations as well as Chinese affairs. Email: george.tzogopoulos@cife.eu
Source: https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/china-israel-pragmatism/
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