Chinese Israeli Relations in the Context
of US Foreign Policy
TUGRUL KESKIN
Shanghai University
ABSTRACT: Israel was established as a result
of European colonialism in the Middle East and anti-Semitism in Europe;
whereas, China was established with the combination of socialism and
nationalism which was against British and American imperialism. Both countries
had to deal with substantial political obstacles within their respective
geographical neighborhoods. Achieving the milestone of mutual official
recognition, between these two countries has led to dilemmas in their political
relations with third parties. Israel established official diplomatic ties with
China in 1992. On the other hand, China heavily supported the Palestinian
struggle against Israel at the same time as seeking secretive relations with
Israel. Both were hesitant to pursue direct and open political and economic
relations until Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit in 2013. China now seeks advanced
technology cooperation with Israeli companies, while Israel seeks to deepen its
economic relations with China. On the other hand, the US openly criticizes
Israeli’s military, political and economic cooperation with China. In this
paper, I argue that Chinese and Israeli relations are being shaped by the
challenges of US-Israeli relations, and I will critically analyze these
dynamics.
