Israeli diplomats in Beijing expressed their frustration with China’s response to Iran’s missile attack against the Jewish state. Ambassador Irit Ben-Abba Vitale went to the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday to share her concerns with Zhai Jun, Beijing’s point man on the Middle East.
The embassy did not publish a readout of the meeting, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry did and even briefly acknowledged the ambassador’s “concerns.”
But the embassy’s second-in-command, Yuval Waks, was far more direct about his frustrations with the Chinese response.
“We were hoping for stronger condemnation and clear acknowledgment of Israel’s right to defend itself,” he said during a press briefing on Monday when asked what response the embassy had wanted to hear from the Chinese government.
“Unfortunately, we did not see that, which is why we were unhappy with the statement [from the Chinese foreign ministry],” said Waks.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Israel is in a bit of a bind when it comes to China’s position on the war. On the one hand, Beijing has wholly abandoned any sense of non-partisanship in the Mideast as it’s fully aligned with Arab and Gulf countries on the Israel/Palestinian issue.
But on the other hand, Israel can’t push too hard against China because it has to maintain trade/investment ties that will be essential in the post-war period when Israel may face potentially crippling economic isolation.
SUGGESTED READING:
- South China Sea: Israel ‘unhappy’ with China’s ‘not as strong as expected’ response to Iranian attack by Sylvie Zhuang
- The Economist: Will China’s ties with Israel survive the Gaza war?
