It even offered to mediate between Israel and Palestine for peace talks and hosted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in May on separate visits. Beijing appears poised to present itself as a counterpoint to the United States, whose historical baggage in the region and close ties to Israel could stand in the way of its role as a peacemaker. In contrast, China has a long policy of non-interference with its diplomatic partners.
Less than six months later, Israel’s war on Gaza is posing a challenge to Beijing’s ambitions as a major player in the Middle East, following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, analysts say.
Beijing has interests on both sides of the conflict. It has long advocated a two-state solution and even armed the Palestine Liberation Organization in the 1960s and 1970s. Yet today, Beijing is also Israel’s second largest trading partner.
On Friday, China joined 119 other countries in voting in support of a non-binding UN General Assembly resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire.
Yet, for the most part, Beijing has so far stayed on the sidelines of the conflict, avoiding the same prominent role in the Saudi-Iranian standoff.
What did China say about Israel-Hamas war?
China has drawn a neutral line since the outbreak of war and has continued to call for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
On October 8, the day after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on “involved parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, and immediately cease hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation”.
It also reiterated Beijing’s position that the only long-term solution to the conflict is the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Since then, its official comments have been largely the same, with diplomat Zhai Jun calling for an “immediate ceasefire and an end to the war as soon as possible” at the Cairo peace conference this week.
Critics have called China’s stance either too “soft” or its response too late – Beijing took a day to issue an official statement. But Benjamin Ho Jay Arn, assistant professor at the Singapore-based S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ China program, says it’s a realistic choice.
Beijing “wanted to see how other countries reacted first in order to provide it with the moral high ground to take a more ‘neutral’ approach,” he said. “Given the fog of war, it doesn’t want to make a clear statement that it has to retract if the information is wrong.”
Why China remained neutral?
Beijing has remained neutral because such a stance is to avoid taking sides in its long-term regional interests, said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Washington-based Stimson Center.
“If China wants to emerge as a different great power, projecting a different future consensus, it cannot choose one side against the other. That’s why you see China against all attacks against civilians, which are by Hamas and Israel. Criticizing both,” he said.
The current dispute is also very different from the negotiations with an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, a case where both countries have sought a solution and Oman and Iraq have already laid the groundwork. In contrast, Hamas and Israel are engaged in an ongoing conflict that worries observers.
Trita Percy, co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said Beijing may also recognize that in such a protracted conflict that draws in other powers, it is simply out of its depth.
“One has to remember, the Chinese didn’t have the same involvement or knowledge or relationship with the various players to be able to play the Saudi-Iranian equivalent,” he said. “Basically, they don’t have the same luxury of trying to get to know partners. When you’re mediating it, you have to be way ahead of the game, and the Chinese are not.”
What are the risks for China?
China has strong economic interests in the region and will be affected if the current war drags in other players. It imports substantial amounts of energy from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran. Trade figures for the Middle East and North Africa are also higher at $259 billion in 2021 – three times the amount of US trade with the region. China’s trade with Israel to reach $18 billion in 2021
Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute, said Beijing’s standing on the global stage was also at stake. This encourages China to remain neutral even at the risk of its relationship with Israel.
“It’s about posturing to the Global South, which is essentially more sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians than to the anger of the Israelis.