Recently, an opinion piece titled Israel Is on the Wrong Side of the US-China Fight was published in The Jerusalem Post. We couldn’t agree on some of its opinions.
First of all, China-Israel cooperation is based on mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits. It’s an independent and voluntary choice that doesn’t target any third party, and nor should it be affected by any third party. Israel is an independent, sovereign nation. We are glad to see Israel developing normal state-to-state relations with any country, and we have noticed it shares special ties with certain countries. However, China is firmly opposed to the Cold-War mentality and the zero-sum game mindset that motivate countries to pick a side and have confrontations. We have never asked any country to choose between China and the US.
Practical cooperation between China and Israel is a regular commercial practice based on the market law of supply and demand. Projects contracted by Chinese companies are implemented in Israel following open and transparent bidding procedures. The construction and operation of these projects are strictly in accordance with Israeli laws and regulations. China’s participation makes up for the shortage and high cost of Israel’s labor force and creates a large number of job opportunities. The infrastructure cooperation reflects the huge complementarity of our respective economic advantages. The essence of China-Israel cooperation is mutually beneficial. People in both countries can gain tangible benefits from it. Such commercial cooperation between China and Israel, as well as enterprises in both countries, deserves respect and support rather than accusation and defamation.
The article suggested the Israeli government follow the US government’s practice and push Chinese companies out of ongoing tenders. This is utterly wrong. It’s widely known that by using the catch-all concept of national security, abusing its state power and pressuring certain countries, the US suppresses and imposes restrictions on Chinese enterprises out of the political agenda to contain China’s development. Such acts run against the principle of market competition and severely undermine international trade rules. If Israel blindly follows the US to launch “political crackdowns” on Chinese enterprises, it will breach the principle of free market that it champions, sacrifice the legitimate rights and interests of both Chinese and Israeli businesses, undermine the mutually beneficial and friendly relations between China and Israel and greatly damage Israel’s international image and credibility.
Second, the article cited an American company’s report saying China launched cyberattacks against Israel, a claim that is both hypocritical and ludicrous. It’s an open secret to all as to which country is the biggest “empire of hackers.” China has clarified on multiple occasions that the cybersecurity-related accusations on China are simply groundless smears fueled by political purposes. China is a staunch upholder of cybersecurity. We have been firmly opposing and fighting all forms of cyberattacks. In fact, China is one of the major victims of cyberattacks. According to statistics from China’s National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team (CNCERT), about 52,000 malicious program command and control servers located outside China took control of about 5.31 million computer hosts in China in 2020, causing great harm to national security, socioeconomic development and people’s life and work. Cybersecurity issues are a global challenge. On the basis of mutual respect, trust and mutual benefit, China would like to work with all sides to safeguard cybersecurity through dialogue and cooperation.
The longstanding friendly exchanges between the Chinese and Jewish people can date back a thousand years ago. Since China and Israel established diplomatic relations, both countries have had more frequent exchanges at various levels and fruitful outcomes in cooperation that delivered tangible benefits to both peoples. China and Israel are different in national conditions, development stages and historical and cultural traditions, but friendly cooperation and mutual benefits have always been the mainstay of our bilateral relations. China and China-Israel relations should be viewed in a fair, objective perspective. We believe the Jewish people, known for their wisdom, can make the choice that best serves their interests.
As we are about to celebrate the 30th anniversary of China-Israel diplomatic ties, we are looking forward to working with Israeli friends from all sectors, together, to better promote bilateral relations and deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and Israeli people.
The author is the Counsellor and Spokesperson of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the State of Israel.