NewsR Staff
Will China dump Israel from its new Middle East plan?
The issue is a subject of fresh debate in the Middle East following Palestine authority (PA) taking fresh initiatives to strengthen relations with China and eyeing its bigger role in Middle East to counter the American peace plan.
By strengthening its ties with Beijing, the PA want to inflict a big blow to President Donald Trump in the wake of simmering tensions between the US and China. The PA had cut its ties with the US administration after Trump’s 2017 decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
China had also responded in a positive note with President Xi Jinping early this week having a detailed discussion with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over telephone. Xi said Palestine question had always been the core issue in the Middle East region, and China supports the “two-state solution” as the right direction.
He added that China and Palestine had been “good brothers”, “good friends” and “good partners”, and the two sides had always firmly trusted and supported each other on the issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns.
Xi also recalled the assistance aided to combat Covid-19. Since the start of the outbreak, China has provided multiple batches of supplies and sent medical experts to Palestine, organized video conferences between Chinese medical experts and their Palestinian counterparts, and offered anti-epidemic assistance to Palestinian refugees, Xi said.
For years, China has maintained a consistent position in support of the Palestinian people, calling for an end to the Israeli occupation and establishing independent Palestinian state. However, Beijing’s firm position on Palestinians seems as of little consequence to its relationship with Israel as joint technological ventures, trade and investments continue to grow unimpeded.
China’s foreign policymakers had mistaken assumption that their country could be pro-Palestine and pro-Israel at once, criticizing the occupation, yet sustaining it; calling on Israel to respect international law while at the same time empowering Israel, however inadvertently, in its ongoing violations of Palestinian human rights.
For the Chinese authorities, sidelining Israel in its Middle East plan would not be an easy task especially when it had been expediting its ambitious “One Belt, One Road” project. For, Israel’s unique geographic location, stable political and social order, as well as advanced technology are vital for China’s successful economic involvement in the Middle East.
