China Is Playing the Long Game in the Middle East: Analysts

China's ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, speaking with his Palestinian and Russian counterparts on the sidelines of a Security Council meeting about the ongoing war in the Mideast. Bryan R. Smith / AFP

China was one of 121 countries that voted for a UN General Assembly resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza on Friday. The vote positioned it against Israel and its key ally, the U.S. Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the UN,  accused the countries voting for the resolution of voting in “the defense of Nazi terrorists.”

China has worked to improve relations with Israel in recent years, which included inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Beijing in June. Its refusal to denounce Hamas for the October 7 attacks was seen as a blow to intentions stated earlier to serve as a mediator in the Israel-Palestine dispute.

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by Cobus van Staden

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