Israel is finally waking up to the big threat called the People’s Republic of China. The Jewish nation has accused the Chinese State-run media of running anti-semitic propaganda. Israel is therefore coming to realise that the Middle Kingdom is not a friend. As the Israel-Gaza conflict escalated, Beijing decided to take Iran’s line and support the Palestinian cause, at the expense of Israel.
Israel is an American ally first and this is why it is facing negative propaganda from the Chinese State media. Ultimately, this is going to make the Jewish nation realise that it cannot sustain business ties with Beijing. Israel’s realisation is bound to hurt China, with some serious consequences. Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu could now kick extensive Chinese investments out of Israel’s economy.
The Israeli Embassy to China pointed out a program run by China’s overseas State-run broadcaster CCTV. The Embassy tweeted, “We have hoped that the times of the ‘Jew’s controlling the world’ conspiracy theories were over, unfortunately anti-Semitism has shown its ugly face again.” It added, “We are appalled to see blatant anti-Semitism expressed in an official Chinese media outlet.”
The Israeli Embassy was making a reference to the Tuesday CGTN broadcast by host Zheng Junfeng. During a three-minute segment, Junfeng suggested that American support to Israel was driven by the influence of wealthy Jews in the US and the influence of the Jewish lobby on American foreign policy.
So, Israel must have realised that it is a US ally first. And since Israel is a mainstream US ally, it cannot escape the consequences of growing tensions between Washington and Beijing. In the Trump era, former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had asked Israel to distance itself from Beijing. But the Jewish nation had asserted its right to exercise freedom in relations with China.
But it is China after all – a country that has traditionally supported the Palestinian cause. Even recently, the Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned the US for blocking a UN Security Council statement against Israel. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, “What we can feel is that the US keeps saying that it cares about the human rights of Muslims… but it was ignoring the suffering of the Palestinian people.”
Anyhow, Israel’s realisation of China’s true character is quite significant. And it can really harm Beijing’s interests in the region. Most importantly, business relations between Israel and China might get jeopardised.
China has invested heavily in the Israeli economy. The most important of all Chinese investments is, of course, the Haifa port, which is seen as an important milestone in China’s BRI project. The port is in the final stages of completion and will start running from 2021, before being handed over to SIPG, a Chinese government company, on a 25-year lease.
But Haifa port is not the only Chinese investment in Israel that now stands threatened because of a possible rift between the two countries. Chinese companies are also building an Israeli port in Ashdod and a light railways project running through the greater Tel Aviv area. The rail project is sensitive as it will pass in great geographical proximity to the Israeli military headquarters.
Moreover, Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison is also building a $1.5 billion water desalination plant in the Jewish nation.
China has also been investing extensively in Israeli technology and businesses. As per IVC Data and Insights, it invested $400 million in Israeli start-ups in 2018 and $243 million in 2019.
Make no mistake, Israel feels that China has been backstabbing it and therefore every single Chinese investment in Israel is at risk. The Netanyahu government must have realised that China is an external power that tries to spread its influence in the Middle East in the garb of neutrality. But, in reality, the paper dragon takes Iran’s lines and pushes pro-Palestine propaganda.
So, China might as well get excluded from the Eastern Mediterranean and Gulf regions, and get confined to exclusive places like Iran. China has made a huge mistake by going too far in its propaganda against Israel, and now Israel will make it pay for its mistakes.