China, israel ties grew rapidly in the early 2000s in a variety of fields, including diplomacy, trade, investment, construction, educational partnerships, scientific cooperation and tourism. Israel wants to strengthen diplomatic, economic and strategic connections with the world’s fastest growing major economy, as well as diversify its export markets and investments away from the u.s and europe and china desires israel’s sophisticated technologies and values, israel’s location as part of the belt and road initiative. In recent years, chinese investments in israel have grown substantially and former israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu attempted to deepen ties with china and attract chinese investment in israel’s infrastructure and technological industries. They include investments in high-tech firms that manufacture sensitive technology, as well as the building and operation of critical infrastructure projects.
Chinese investment in sensitive technology and the development of key israeli infrastructure raise serious worries for the united states and also for other countries who purchase defense equipments from israel. Last month. On the 14th of december 2021, the joe biden’s administration and the israeli government conducted low-key talks on china and many other difficult matter that, given american fears over chinese investments in israel. Furthermore, a week after the meeting national security adviser, jake sullivan, raised some of the same concerns with israeli prime minister naftali bennett and foreign minister yair lappad. Sullivan’S key points were chinese engagement in infrastructure projects, chinese hacking and the necessity for a united front against china.
According to reports, the biden administration was putting more pressure on israel and other countries to choose sides in the u.s china conflict. According to commentators, israel’s leadership caught between continuing a balancing act in order to retain business connections with china, while also standing more actively with the united states, its closest geopolitical ally, security risks for israel and the united states. According to analysts, there are four kinds of security dangers for israel and the us. Israeli and chinese interests in the middle east are incompatible because of the nation’s middle east.
Goals are incompatible. Israel faces the risk of a schism in its relations with china. China’S mix of economic and geostrategic objectives may pose a threat to israel for two reasons. First, given china’s close ties with iran and china’s opinions and interests in the middle east sometimes contradict israel. Second, given the trade war between the united states and china, israel may find itself on opposing sides with the united states, its most important security, diplomatic and economic ally.
Furthermore, israel’s engagement with china would heighten the risk of large asset concentration in the hands of chinese firms. At the expense of local and other foreign businesses, government or military ties of chinese companies doing business in israel, the bulk of chinese firms are controlled by the chinese government and the strong association between chinese firms and the chinese government shows that commercial actions are motivated. Not just by economic factors, but also by china’s geopolitical objectives. Chinese investments and construction activities pose cyber and intelligence risks. Although the israeli technological industry is mostly geared westward, chinese investment in technologies, especially sensitive ones, as well as the building and management of critical infrastructure, pose a variety of cyber and intelligence related potential concerns for both israel and the us.
One critical problem is china’s desire to acquire technology that can be utilized for both commercial and military goals. Chinese investment and building operations bring up a plethora of chances for cyber-enabled and open source information gathering. For example, the shanghai international port group has been awarded a 25-year contract to run a new terminal port adjacent to the port of haifa commencing in 2021. Another major risk is cyber espionage. China’S investment in israeli cyber security firms poses risks for both israel and the u.
department of defense. The transfer of proprietary information used to develop these cyber security capabilities could be used by china to bolster its own cyber defenses or reverse engineered to identify software vulnerabilities. The impact on the israel us relationship, in addition to cyber and intelligence threats and classic hard power challenges. China is using its investment and other soft power efforts across the world to accomplish its economic, political and security objectives. From a geostrategic standpoint, several analysts in both israel and the united states are concerned about chinese investment in israeli infrastructure, including vital infrastructure such as ports and rail.
Chinese presence in the haifa port has received the greatest attention and has become a symbol of tension between israel and the us over israel’s connections with china. Haifa port is the largest of israel’s three ports, serving as a base for israel’s submarines and a crucial port of call for the united states, navy’s sixth fleet, the u.s navy’s sixth fleet docks in haifa port, at least once a year to participate in by annual naval Exercise and to assist in ballistic missile defense bolstering israel’s land-based ballistic missile defenses by providing sea-based bmd support. Chinese presence in port might pose a risk, since it will provide china with unique information gathering capabilities. The us may need to balance its interests in the area with its concerns about chinese collection.
On: u
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