China's Views On Israel

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

Relations between Israel and China have experienced severe strain due to differing geopolitical stances, the Gaza conflict, and growing pressure from the United States.

 China has historically been one of Israel's largest trading partners and a significant investor in Israeli tech, agriculture, and infrastructure (such as port and light rail projects). However, security screening and intense US pressure regarding Chinese influence (such as in 5G networks and ports) have heavily dampened new cooperative ventures. China is Israel's second largest trading partner globally and its largest trading partner in East Asia. Israel has traded significantly with China in technology and arms.  

The relations between the two countries have been complicated by China's support for the Palestinians and Iran, both involved in ongoing conflicts with Israel, and the geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States, Israel's primary security guarantor. In the United Nations, China has long voted in support of Palestine and against Israel. Relations deteriorated after the October 7 attacks and the subsequent Gaza war, with China classifying Israel's actions in Gaza as a genocide and calling for the "imperative" of an arms embargo on Israel in August 2025.                                   

US-China Rivalry: As Washington treats China as a primary strategic competitor, Israel's close alignment with the United States limits the depth of its economic and political pivot toward Beijing.

Heavily armed terrorists invaded Israeli communities that surround the Gaza border. They systematically murdered babies, children, women, men and elderly alike. They cruelly shot. Burned. Threw grenades. Dismembered. Raped. They took hundreds of hostages, among them young children and holocaust survivors. This is what has happened with Gaza as a neighbor-as a state they would have more privileges to enhance their killers.  

Two-State Solution &

 

Gaza: Beijing continues to advocate for a two-state solution based on 1967 borders and has criticized Israeli military actions and humanitarian restrictions in Gaza.  For Israel, the 1967 Six  Day War was a turning point, and meant leaving a very bad time for freedom of which they do not want to return to in connection to Gaza now.  Military action and restrictions are only brought upon by the Palestinians themselves who, since their Khartoum Conference after the 1967 War when they lost, was against Israel and any peace involved.  They want war and so they attack.  Is this so hard to understand?  It seems so.

Post-October 7 Shift: China's neutral-to-critical stance following the October 7 attacks, the most gruesome of all time that the Palestinians did to the Jews unexpectedly —alongside its positions at international bodies like the International Court of Justice (ICJ)—has largely eroded the previous perception of a pragmatic partnership.  The Palestinians made it clear that their behavior on Oct 7 was what was waiting for all of Israel and that there would be no peace whatsoever.  You know, Islam says to warn people before attacking them, and they didn't.  They hit the Jews on their happiest holiday, joyous time and many were enjoying outdoor dancing and music at the time of their bloody deaths.  It's not to be forgotten or forgiven for there was no reason for it to happen;  just out of the clear blue sky.  How the Chinese can ignore this, or any of the other European countries, for that matter, is beyond my belief.  

                  In 2017, all was good with two leaders

Failure to Condemn October 7: Israelis widely express deep disappointment and frustration that Beijing refused to condemn Hamas's October 7 attacks and instead criticized Israeli military operations in Gaza.

             China's XI meets Palestinian leader

Alignment with Iran and the Global South: Israel views China's diplomatic stance—which includes hosting Hamas delegations, defending Palestinian armed resistance at international bodies like the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and aligning closely with Iran—as hostile to Israeli security interests.

Foreign workers from China in preparations for the upcoming Chinese New Year, in the south Tel Aviv neighborhood of Neve Shanaan. February 14, 2026. (photo credit: YAEL ABAS GUISKY/FLASH90)   

Erosion of the "Economic Illusion": For years, Israel prioritized economic and technological cooperation (with China becoming a major trading partner and investor in Israeli ports, light rail, and high-tech). Israeli leadership and the public now largely view that approach as an illusion, realizing that commercial ties could not survive major geopolitical and ideological divergences,

In March 2015, Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) won the tender to operate the northern port in Haifa, a facility being built by Ashtrom Group and Shapir Engineering.1 In July 2018, management of the first part of the new port was transferred to SIPG, which produced an unexpected backlash throughout the Israeli media.2 What could have sparked such harsh reactions? A possible explanation is that the powerful Haifa port workers’ union is the driving force behind the effort — reminiscent of the campaign waged by the Association of Contractors and Builders in December 2017, which included billboards and a Facebook page calling for the prevention of Chinese companies from penetrating the Israeli market.3

The U.S. Factor: Israel's strategic alignment remains firmly anchored to the United States. Growing U.S.–China rivalry and American pressure on Israel to purge Chinese influence from sensitive infrastructure (such as 5G networks and port operations) have further cooled official and private-sector openness to Beijing.

Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93Israel_relations