Abstract

All states' foreign policies during the Cold War were influenced by the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. Few nations sided with the USSR, while the vast majority of states in the world supported the United States. The post-Cold War environment has an equal impact on the nature of relations between states. One economic alliance is commanded by the People's Republic of China, while the other is led by the United States. After 1992, economic competition between China and the United States defines the second Cold War. From a second Cold War perspective, this paper claims that the relations between China and Israel face multiple challenges.  Israel was the United State's closest ally during the Cold War, and it remains one of the United States's closest allies in the current international context. China is not an old ally of Israel, but the two countries have developed extensive cooperation in many areas in recent years. Economic competition between the United States and China will determine the future of Sino-Israeli relations.

Key Words

Israel, China, Second Cold War, US

Introduction

Throughout history, there have been numerous dramatic shifts in Sino-Israeli relations. In 1948, China recognised the fledgling state of Israel, and in 1949, Israel recognised China. During the first Cold War, China fought on the side of the communist alliance, but after its differences with the Soviet Union in 1969, it began fighting against the Soviet Union and naturally grew closer to the United States and the West. Israel, the most allied ally of the United States, attempted to strengthen ties with China, but the People's Republic of China had already recognised the Palestine Liberation Organisation and established cordial relations with the Muslim world after 1949.  This was the primary reason China did not establish diplomatic relations with Israel during the early Cold War years. Israel's increasing progress and development in the fields of science and technology prompted a rising China to approach Israel. In the era following the Cold War. In 1992, China established complete diplomatic relations with Israel.

The first Cold War between the USSR and the US terminated in 1992 when the USSR was reduced to Russia. Multipolarity ended with the Soviet Union's defeat in the Cold War, leaving the United States as the solitary superpower. China was the only rising power capable of challenging the solitary superpower at the time. The period beginning in 1992 and continuing forward is the period of the second Cold War. Chinese relations, its engagements, and its collaborations in many parts of the world after 1992 are referred to as its relations with the world from the perspective of the second Cold War by many prominent scholars of the modern world, such as Noam Chomsky, Mearsheimer, and Alison Graham. According to Alison Graham, the Thucydides Trap is a theory that states that when one hegemon threatens the position of another hegemon, war ensues; he applies this theory to the United States and the People's Republic of China (Allison, 2017). The United States and the Soviet Union engaged in an ideological conflict during the first Cold War, whereas the second Cold War was a struggle for supremacy in the global economy. The first Cold War was more intense than the second because it involved more confrontations between the United States and the Soviet Union. Israel is the United States' closest ally and has excellent relations with China on multiple fronts. In a new Cold War, Israel's relations with China face a plethora of challenges and problems. During the Cold War, there were numerous divergences and conversions between these two nations.

Since Israel's inception, the United States has been its primary defender and has always protected Israel's rights in their entirety. Jewish lobbying in the US administration serves Israel's interests. The United States is not sanguine about the expanding ties between China and Israel because China is challenging the United States' global dominance in numerous regions. Future growth of connections between China and Israel may be hampered by the United States because, according to the IMF, Beijing's GDP surpassed that of the United States in 2014 (Lind, 2018).

Apart from the US factor, there are too many diverging points between the two countries. Israel is one of the closest allies of India, which again is the traditional foe of China. India is trying to compete with China on many fronts and it has many traditional issues with China. (Chollonoy, 2014) There are additional concerns, such as the traditional animosity between Israel and China's closest allies, Pakistan and Iran. China places a high value on the entire Muslim world; consequently, the animosity of the Muslim world toward Israel and its oppression of the Palestinian people can jeopardise China's relationship with Israel.  In the context of the Second Cold War, there are many points of convergence between the two nations. China's plan for peaceful development infects its gentle balancing strategy, so this policy can bring Israel closer to China. The Belt and Route initiative of China also attracts Israel to China, and above all, the advancement of technology in both countries attracts them to cooperate in many fields of research and innovation for greater economic benefit, which is the primary objective of every nation on earth.




Historical Background of Sino-Israel Relations

The development of Sino-Israeli ties may be broken down into two main stages. The beginning of the first phase of their relationship coincides with the beginning of the Cold War, while the beginning of the second phase of their relationship coincides with the beginning of the post-Cold War scenario. Israel was the first nation in the Middle East to acknowledge China, although the Chinese leader San Yat-sen had previously done so during his lifetime. China was the second country in the world to do so. After just a few short months of functioning as a state in the Middle East, nationalist China extended its recognition of Israel in a legal capacity. (Shai, 2014). In 1950, the Israeli government tried to recognize China but this time China had become an anti-American country so Israel could not strengthen its ties with a socialist country China (Shai, 2014).




Relations During Cold War Period

The first phase of the Cold War was precipitated by competition between two main power blocs existing at the time in the globe, namely the communist block and the capitalist block. The United States of America's most reliable partner and a leading member of the capitalist bloc was Israel. In 1949, China became an active part of the Communist bloc, making it one of its members. The beginning years of the Cold War, from 1953 to 1955, were pivotal for Israel's connections with China, as well as their lack thereof. (Shai, 2014).

Two global power blocs, the Communist Block and the Capitalist Block, were the root cause of the first Cold War. Israel was the United State's closest ally and a leading capitalist bloc state. Both China and Israel belonged to opposing groups. During the first ten years of the Cold War, China emerged as the United States and its allies' primary foe. At the time, China, the Soviet Union, and India were allies who wanted to form a "grand triangle." The goal of an Eastern great triangle was dashed as tensions arose first between China and India and then between China and the Soviet Union. China and Israel's relationship did not improve during the Suez Canal conflict or the six-day war. The People's Republic of China has strengthened ties with Arab countries and shown more solidarity with the Arab world and the Palestinian cause. China and Israel were never good pals during Mao's lifetime. Only the Israeli Communist Party kept in touch with its Communist Party allies in China during this time of no diplomatic connections. In 1949, China officially joined the communist bloc. Israel's and China's relationship during the early Cold War years (1953–1955) was very important. (Shai, 2014).In 1979, the border war between PRC and Vietnam brought Israel near to the PRC where the PRC sought military and technological assistance and Israel was one of the few countries able to meet the urgent requirements of the PRC. (Shai, 2014)

The events that occurred in the Arab world in 1977 drew the People's Republic of China closer to Israel. Chinese ties with Israel have improved as a result of President Anwar Sadat's trip to Israel in 1977 and the signing of the peace treaty with Israel in 1979. On the other hand, Chinese relations with Palestine have worsened (Shai, 2014). From 1989-1991 Sino-Israel relations saw some significant strides, a Chinese tourism office was opened in Tel Aviv and an academic mission of Israel was opened in China (Shai, 2014).

After 1969, western nations, led by the United States, made several attempts to become closer to China. Israel and China both made efforts at this time to become closer to one another. After the formed relationships between Eisenberg, a business mogul, and the leaders of China in the 1970s, certain covert interactions between Israel and China were begun. These relations are being kept a secret. He was successful in convincing the government of China to purchase cutting-edge technology from Israel. In 1979, he orchestrated covert gatherings of top military officials from both camps to discuss the conflict. As a direct consequence of this, the transfer of military technology got underway (Evron, 2007).

Sino-Israel Relations In the Post-Cold War

The formal diplomatic relations between China and Israel were started in 1992, a year when a new Cold War between China and US was started. Soviet Union of History had become Russia and a close ally of China in the New Cold War (Mughal, 2017). Through peaceful involvement in many regions of the globe, notably in the Middle East, China has initiated a new strategy of peaceful development as part of its overall foreign policy. Before 1992, China had a variety of stances that were antagonistic towards Israel. However, with the PLO's recognition of Israel as a state in 1992, China established official diplomatic ties with the state of Israel.




Sino-Israel Relations in a Second Cold War Era

Many international political scientists of the world view China's development as the emergence of a new threat to global economic hegemony. Some claim that the economic competition between the world's largest economies has sparked an economic war, and a minority of scholars believe that the post-Cold War period is, in fact, a second Cold War that is distinct from the first Cold War. National Intelligence Director Dan Coats stated in an interview that China is attempting to reach the world's most strategic locations by providing infrastructural support, loan support for ports, roads, and airports, and loans for infrastructures; however, China's primary interest is in strategic military positions (Times, 2019).

The diplomatic relations between China and Israel after the first Cold War are the relations between China and the United States during the second Cold War. China and the United States are engaged in an indirect economic conflict, but they disagree on numerous issues. Israel is the United States’ closest ally, the United States has supported Israel's cause since its inception, and Israel has been empowered to be the regional hegemon in the Middle East. Israel has established strong ties with China, which will continue to grow stronger with time. Washington regards this expanding relationship with ambiguity.

In 1996, China signed a massive deal with Israel to acquire the Phalcon Airborne Early Warning (AEW) system. This deal badly troubled US- Israel relations and depreciated Sino-Israel ties. The US vetoed this deal and cancelled it in 2000 (Patil, 2008). Yet Israel wants to be a little more independent in making decisions for her in the international community and it is looking for new friends in the post-American era in its overdependence on US’s military economic, diplomatic and technological backing (Kumaraswamy, 2012).

Israel is not in the mood to be pulled into a scenario that threatens the Chinese stance just because it is a pro-American country. It is abundantly evident that the United States and China are on a possible route that might lead to an increase in the level of competition that exists between them (Gonen, 2018).

The HARRY incident led to Israel passing its Export Control Law in 2007, which tightened restrictions on the sale of armaments and the transfer of dual-use technologies, raised the requirements for export permits, and increased the minimum age requirement for applicants (Evron, 2013.).

These events provide insight into the extent to which the United States guides Israeli foreign policy and demonstrate how Israel strikes a balance between its ties with the world's leading powers. Because the United States views the People's Republic of China as a possible threat, Israel is unlikely to manoeuvre because of its dependence on the United States for aid in the form of military and weapons. However, Israel might reap strategic and economic benefits by maintaining close ties with the PRC (Shira Efron, 2019).




How the US Gawp the Emergent Relations between Israel and China

The United States is extremely concerned about the export of US defence technology and capabilities to the People's Republic of China, which could strengthen its military might. Chinese forums operating in Israel have ties to military intelligence, and Washington is particularly concerned about Chinese operations in the South China Sea. (Dr. Shira Efron, 2019).

The most contentious issue in US-Israeli relations is Tel Aviv's dealings with Beijing, while 66% of Israelis view Beijing favourably. Elliott Abrams, an American diplomat, speculates that Tel Aviv's political ties with the United States could be detrimental to its commercial ties with Beijing. Another commentator, Jake Novak, went so far as to suggest that Tel Aviv may be compelled to "choose between" the two factions(Samet, 2020)

The lack of regulation on China's access to and investment in Israeli technology exposes the Israeli economy to the threat of cyberattacks. This is also a problem that has been experienced in certain other nations. 2015 was the year when Chinese cyber surveillance targeted corporations in the United States for $360 billion annually(Strohm, 2015).

In 2014, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) hackers targeted and seized confidential information about the Iron Dome missile defence system; the Cyber ESI described it. The hackers, whose targets included Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael Advanced Defence System, and Elisra Group, seized intellectual property about the Arrow III missile, unmanned aerial vehicles, ballistic missiles, and other technical documents on the same grounds of investigation (Zachary Keck, 2014).

For the US The participation of the People's Republic of China in infrastructure projects such as ports and rail, which are adjacent to the majority of strategic military bases, could pose threats to cybersecurity, surveillance, and privacy. Chinese businesses have access to cameras, radios, mobile networks, and fibre optics. All of these activities raise concerns regarding China's social and political influence in this region. In 2013, the Chinese government conditioned Netanyahu's visit to Beijing on Israel's dismissal of a federal court case against the Bank of China in the United States. This bank was accused of diverting Iranian funds for Islamic jihad in Palestine and Hamas terrorism. This was the most contentious case of terror financing ever filed in the United States (Dr Shira Efron, 2019).

Because the United States and China are now engaged in a trade war and their ties are deteriorating, it is reasonable to think that the White House will expect its closest friend in the Middle East to align with it in its effort to limit China. It is anticipated that the level of pressure that will be placed on Israel to restrict China's capacity to readily get access to cutting-edge knowledge and ventures in key assets will increase. The United States Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) (Committee on Foreign Investment in the US)  is one of the potential models for a structure that Israel is contemplating developing to evaluate the potential dangers that foreign investors pose to the Israeli economy(Feder, 2018).

A trade conflict in 2018 and 2019 demonstrated conclusively that these two nations are waging a Second Cold conflict distinctly. In such a bleak scenario for the United States, one of her closest allies, Israel, is growing closer to China. China has strengthened its ties with Israel to acquire cutting-edge technology. Israel is assisting the PRC on numerous technological fronts. They have extensive economic and commercial connections. This relationship is viewed by Washington as a threat to her hegemony in the Middle East and other regions. There are considerable opportunities for Israel in the BRI, as it can promote many Israeli industries, but at the same time, Israel's scepticism about China's involvement in Israel's economy increases, as Israel believes that China's involvement could compromise some of Israel's national security interests (Feder, 2018).

After overcoming enormous challenges and extraordinary labour, the United States of America has emerged as the world's preeminent superpower. After attaining superpower status, the United States' primary objective was to ensure that it remained in that position. To preserve its dominance, the United States allocates 603 billion dollars to its military budget, provides more than 49 billion dollars in assistance to the countries that it considers to be its friends, and spends a significant amount of money to export its culture to other parts of the globe (McBride, 2018). China has been the focus of attention for the United States after the conclusion of the cold war because the United States views China as a possible danger to its hegemony in the globe. The United States views every prospective rival of hers in the world ambiguously and pessimistically. It is abundantly evident that the Chinese economy poses a challenge to the pre-eminence of the US economy. Chinese exports have amazed the whole of the globe, and its growth has been hailed as one of the greatest living miracles by social scientists such as Alison Graham (Graham, 2018).

The Secretary of State of the USA Mike Pompeo give out a plain caution to Israel that the adjacent security bonds between the two states could be abridged over Israel’s mounting collaboration with China (Staff, 2019). A high-ranking US energy official notified that unless Israel outfits severe screening processes for Chinese investments, intelligence sharing between the two partners could be susceptible (Winer, 2019). Circumnavigating between PRC and US is becoming ever more complex and exorbitant for Israel (Evron, 2019).

It is possible that the United States will become concerned about Israel's partnership with China in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) because the United States National Security Strategy views China's BRI as the establishment of a "strategic foothold" in Europe, which prevents European nations from challenging China's unfair trade and economic practises and its access to sensitive technologies (House, 2017).

The United States is concerned about the presence of the People's Republic of China on the European continent because the PRC has the power to influence various members of the European Union and undermine the unity of Europe on issues such as the South China Sea, dual-use technology, and human rights violation. The presence of the PRC in Europe raises questions about how it will interact with other regional players, such as Russia and Turkey (Le Corre, 2018).

Swerving Points of Israel and China

Even though China and Israel are commemorating the anniversaries of their diplomatic relations with a lot of fire and zest and wonderful celebrations, there are still a lot of other issues that stand in the way of closer connections between the two countries. In the context of the New Cold War, the US factor in between the ties of China and Israel is a great reality; nevertheless, many elements have their intensity to destabilise the cordial relations between China and Israel.







Israel Taiwan Relations

US relations with Taiwan are one of the strongest indications of a second cold war between China and the United States. China has significant reservations regarding U.S. cooperation with Taiwan. In such a scenario, if Israel moves closer to Taiwan, Beijing will inevitably become agitated. China is unable to tolerate Israel's robust cooperation with Taiwan. As a result of its relations with Taiwan, Israel faces some diplomatic issues outside of the military context. In 2006, five members of the Knesset made up one of the highest-ranking Israeli delegations to visit Taiwan. This action was severely criticised by the PRC, and the Chinese ambassador condemned the visit and threatened to view it negatively if it occurred again (Sabol, 2019).

The United States and the People's Republic of China prevented Israel from developing fruitful commercial ties with Taiwan despite the nation's persistent efforts in this direction. To sell weapons to Taiwan, Israel participated in several military exhibits held in Taipei. Additionally, Israel made an offer to buy Taiwan's Ofek-3 spy satellite (Sabol, 2019).




Muslim world’s abhorrence for Israel

China recognises the importance of the Muslim world to its rise to power and has geared its foreign policy in the same manner. China has natural friends in the Muslim world due to their geographical proximity and the abundance of natural resources in the Muslim world. China is interested in numerous Muslim nations, both for their strategic value and the opportunities for economic cooperation that they provide. There are 65 per cent of the world's proven oil reserves and 45 per cent of its natural gas reserves in the Middle Eastern area (Assl, 2012). China's insatiable want for oil has drawn the attention of oil-producing Muslim nations in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. The supply of oil and other petroleum products that China need comes from Muslim nations such as Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. (Md, 2013).

The rise of tighter ties between Muslim nations and the People's Republic of China, which has been encouraged through the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, has caused widespread anxiety in the Western world (Bates, 2007).

In the aftermath of the United States' unilateralism in the post-Cold War scenario, it is presumed that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an effort to counterbalance the influence of the United States in the Far East and Central Asia (Alex, 2007).

The forum considers several aspects. The PRC and several Muslim republics in the area are becoming closer thanks to the SCO. China has maintained substantial economic and commercial links with the resource-rich Islamic states in Central Asia, notably Kazakhstan, within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) (Swanström, 2007).

Despite the fact that Chinese people are Marxists, infidels and polytheists, they prefer Muslims to the Christians and Jews of the Western world. Nearly every one of the 57 Muslim-majority nations in the world views China with optimism and demonstrates a willingness to cooperate. The Arab world views China as its greatest opportunity. Numerous other Islamic nations favour China because, unlike the United States, China does not interfere with their internal politics. The United States has historically intervened in numerous Muslim countries; consequently, many countries view the United States as a threat to their religion and culture. The Israel-Palestine Conflict and Israel's persecution of the people of Gaza have instilled a profound loathing in the minds of Muslims all over the world, while Muslims all over the world have a deep affection for China and its people. Muslims constitute a substantial portion of the global population, and Islam is the second-largest religion on the planet. The cordial relations between China and Israel may strain relations between China and the Muslim world.




Israel’s Traditional Acrimony with Pakistan (the Key strategic partner of  China)

Outside of mainland China, Pakistan is China's most sincere international ally. This friendship is more valuable to Pakistan than any other international interest. In Pakistan, China has invested in the largest One Road and Belt Programme initiative, "The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor" (CPEC).  CPEC is a sacrosanct covenant for the Pakistani government, and she is prepared to execute every CPEC plan at any cost. China is also committed to completing CPEC because it is one of the most significant projects and a game-changer for China and Pakistan's trade. As Premier Li told the legislators, “If you love China, love Pakistan too,” (BBC, 2013). As longtime enemies, Israel and Pakistan have never established official ties. In the past, Israel sided with India when it was at war with Pakistan. Israel's Mossad and India's RAW have both plotted in the past to undermine Pakistan's political and economic stability. More recently, an Indian spy named Kulboshan, posing as Pakistani politician Hussain Mubarak, was captured and interrogated by Pakistani authorities (Jadhav, 2017).

Malka told PTI in an interview that they are there to aid their close ally India to protect herself against terrorism, which has become a worldwide concern. As a result, Israel is supporting India in its conflict with Pakistan (PTI, 2019). India has become the greatest arms market for the Israeli weapons trade, and Israel is aligning itself with India's BJP administration, which is a coalition that advocates for "anti-Islamist" policies(Fisk, 2019). In 2019, India prepared a potentially catastrophic strike with the support of Israel, which was going to be carried out from an airfield in Rajasthan. This information was revealed by a source inside the Indian administration  (Bokhari, 2019).

During Modi's visit to Israel in 2017, India and Israel announced military agreements totalling USD 1.6 billion. These accords caused numerous people in Islamabad to raise their eyebrows. At a range of 70 kilometres, unusual medium-range surface-to-air missile systems (MRSAM) will be delivered to India by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which is a state-owned company. These MRSAM systems are designed to put a stop to planes, missiles, and drones that are threatening India (Duttta, 2017).

Israel’s Enmity with Iran

Despite the restrictions that the United States has placed on Iran, China's relationship with that country will continue to become better. The United States of America referred to Iran as a "rogue state," but China began cooperating with Iran. Iran is one of Israel's primary adversaries in the Middle East, in Israel's estimation. In his address in 2013, the Israeli Prime Minister exclusively discussed the nuclear programme that Iran was operating. (Netanyahu, 2013) This is one of the greatest and strongest points of diversion in the relationship between China and Israel.

Israel will never agree to give rogue states the power to produce nuclear weapons, even if such states have repeatedly threatened to wipe Israel off the map. Israel is forced to defend herself against such threats because she does not have any other choices (TOI, 2013).

Civilizational bonding, anti-American posturing by the Ayatollah, geostrategic aspirations to be a regional player in the Gulf, and the rise of a resource-hungry and militarily robust China are the four strong elements that deepen the alliance between China and Iran in 2016. In 2016, these variables are expected to play a significant role (Shafqat, 2017).

The following is how Wu Bingbing, a researcher at the Wilson Centre, summarised China's approach in the Persian Gulf:

1. To reject the idea of establishing unipolar control over the Gulf area.

2. To put an end to anti-PRC regimes in the surrounding area.

3. To take a stance against the assistance that Gulf nations have given to Taiwan's independence forces and other groups. China is home to many separatist organisations.

4. Make an effort to gain support for the People's Republic of China's foreign policy from the Gulf area.

Iran is a country of great importance for the execution of China’s Persian Gulf Strategy (Mackenzie, 2010). Iran, along with Angola and Saudi Arabia, has been one of the top three suppliers of oil to the PRC, and this trend is expected to continue in the foreseeable future (Mackenzie, 2010).

Iran is a strategic partner of China in the Gulf region, and China can count on Iran to support its strategic interests in the area. Iran is ready to serve China's strategic interests. China is pursuing a "String of Pearls" strategy, with the goal of gaining access to ports located along vital maritime thoroughfares extending from China to the Middle East (Mackenzie, 2010). In the event of a future conflict between Iran and Israel led by Hezbollah, China will be forced to choose a side, and this circumstance may drive a wedge between China and Israel. China and other nations who are reliant on imported oil from Iran are particularly concerned about the possibility of military action being taken by Israel against Iran as a result of Iran's nuclear programme. This may have a number of additional very grave repercussions for China (Mackenzie, 2010).

The fact that the interests of the PRC and Israel in the Middle East are fundamentally incompatible presents a significant obstacle. China's search for oil in the Middle East brings it into close proximity with Iran and Saudi Arabia, two countries that have been Israel's primary adversaries since 1979. There is a lack of congruence between China's strategic and political perspectives, as well as its goals and efforts in international organisations and the Middle East (Shira Efron, 2017).




Israel Palestine Dispute

Israel Palestine issue is the most critical and longest issue in the modern world. China has very strong relations with the state of Palestine because China has always supported the cause of Palestine in history. The issue of Palestine is one of the greatest obstacles in the relationship between China and Israel. China established her diplomatic ties with Palestine in the 1980s, (Yao, 2007).

Regarding Palestine, China has never wavered from the stand it has taken. In 1960, the People's Republic of China was the only nation in the Arab world to establish diplomatic relations with the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). The PRC supported the idea of establishing an independent Palestinian state under the borders that existed in 1967, with East Jerusalem serving as the state's capital. After the legislative elections that took place in 2006 in the occupied territories, the government of the PRC rejected the designation of Hamas as a "terrorist Organisation" and worked to preserve the freedom of the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination. The PRC went on to emphasise that Hamas is a chosen representation of the Palestinian people (Rubeo, 2018).

The conflicts between China and Israel are not confined to the topic of Iran; rather, it also includes a concern over the problem of Palestine and Israel, on which the PRC has consistently backed Palestinian perspectives. The People's Republic of China gave an unfavourable reaction in 2017 to the United States' recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; this is the most current comment China has given about this topic. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that they back the Palestinian people in their fight to regain their legitimate national rights and stand for the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign state along the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital. This announcement was made by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Gao, 2017).




Israel’s Intimacy with India

India is a traditional foe of China having many differences regarding border clashes. Many consider China as a stake in the issue of Kashmir, (Indiatimes, 2009) which is one of the core issues of world politics after the Israel and Palestine issue. India has many other border clashes with China in the eastern part. India and Israel are conjoining on many fronts, especially in defence. The US is empowering India to make it a counterweight to China in the East. India is making progress and creating innovations in its military capacity to compete with China in different phases. In 2000, the US stopped Israel from selling Phalcons to China but later on in 2003 the US allowed Israel to sell the same Phalcons to India. (Express, 2003)

By preventing Israel from selling armaments to China, the United States opened the door for similar transactions with India, which ultimately resulted in India being Israel's most important customer. China may grow more sensitive to the Indo-Israeli Nexus, and she may place pressure on Israel to cease its exports to India. Beijing has never condemned Israel for this, but it does take the danger from India more seriously (Shichor, 2017).

During the Kargil war that took place between Pakistan and India in 1999, defence ties between India and Israel were very advanced. After the United States and Russia, Israel has taken the position of India's third biggest weapons supplier. Israel brings in around one billion dollars in revenue from India via collaboration in the development of missile defence systems, the sale of surveillance drones, airborne threatening and control systems, aerostat radars, and other related products (TheeconomicTimes, 2018).

These last few years have shown that the defence industries of Israel have proved to be appealing partners for India because of their willingness to impart technological know-how and to engage in joint ventures, as well as fabrication and research and development in high technology military equipment (Roche, 2016).




Points of Convergence Between China and Israel

As a result of the fact that the United States and China are now engaged in the Second Cold War, which is mostly fought on economic fronts rather than ideological ones, both China and Israel are willing to participate in any international endeavour for which it is in their economic interests to do so. Because the economy is the primary concern of any state in the modern world, China maintains highly positive economic ties with countries that have historically been its adversaries, such as India. During the second round of the cold war, there are a lot of opportunities for China and Israel to become closer to one another. When seen from a second Cold War period perspective, there are an excessive number of converging points between the bilateral ties between China and Israel, much as there are divergent ones. The United States had become the world's lone superpower, the Soviet Union had transformed into Russia, and the world was a unipolar place when China and Israel first established diplomatic ties with one another. The most alluring element of Israel for China was the country's commitment to technical innovation and research. On the other hand, the most alluring characteristic of China for Israel was the country's rapid economic development. The current economic standing of China as well as the technical innovation of Israel are both attractive to the rest of the globe, and the bilateral ties between China and Israel are entirely predicated on these two factors.

Chinese Economic Revolution and the Belt and Route Initiative 

The economic miracle that China has experienced since 1990 has stunned the whole globe, and the ways in which China has developed its country have become attractive to many other countries throughout the world. Because Israel is a Jewish ideological state that cannot compromise with her ideology, the peaceful development strategy of China attracts Israel's attention and draws it closer to China. Please, China, refrain from interfering in the affairs of her collaborating partners while at the same time, the United Nations continues to meddle in the internal politics of her partner nations in exchange for her assistance. Because China is a communist nation, it does not have any ideological conflicts with other countries and does not attempt to force its ideology on its partner countries in the same way that the Soviet Union did. Israel is one of the most strategically essential countries for the One Belt, One Road plan due to its geographic location. Israel has concluded that this is a fantastic chance.

Israel views the Belt and Road Programme (BRI) as a chance to develop its relations with the People's Republic of China and to take advantage of the enormous economic potential presented by the programme for Israeli firms. The BRI routes need logistic centres, the technology and software for transportation systems, and warehouses. The ability of Israeli enterprises to create and integrate technology for the logistics of railways, maritime engineering, and aircraft is one way they may contribute to this initiative. (Dr. Shira Efron, 2019).

China has financed the rail line that links the Israeli red sea port of Eliat with the Mediterranean Sea which would allow Chinese ships to bypass the canal as well as Israeli ports (Emma Scott, 2014).

The Harbour Engineering Co. of China is spending $876 million to construct the world's first privately owned port at Ashdod, which is located in Israel. Shanghai International Port Group was awarded the contract to administer the Port of Haifa in 2015 after winning the competitive bidding process (Amichai, 2014). Due to the fact that the United States is already engaged in a trade war with China, economic ties between China and Israel will in the future be of a cooperative character. However, the United States will monitor the nature of the collaboration and attempt to limit it since the United States is now engaged in a cold war with China. Since the economic fronts are where the second round of the cold war is fought, any economic collaboration between China and Israel would be viewed with suspicion in Washington.




Cooperation in Science and Technology

This economic progress brought many developing countries closer to China. The technological innovation of Israel attracts China towards Israel. These two countries have an ideal cooperation in science and technology. Huge investment of China in key Israeli Industries has maintained her strong relations with Israel. Some of the key Israeli industries that have been acquired by China include Ahava, Alma Lasers, Mukhteshim-Agan Shahal, and Tnuva. (Kreisel, 2015). Israel ranks 10th among 129 countries featured in GII 2019 and China was 14th on this list (GII, 2019). This index is a ranking of world economies based on innovation capabilities. Israel is good at research innovation and the invention of new ideas. The development in the technology of Israel is unpanelled and China wants to get benefits from this technology.

Since 1979, China has set an unprecedented pace of economic growth, propelling it to the position of the world's second-largest economy. Alison Graham, a social scientist from the United States, said that in 1990, 90 per cent of China's population lived below the poverty level. In 2014, however, more than 99 per cent of China's population lived above the poverty line, and Graham referred to this as "the greatest miracle of this century." (Graham, 2017). Israel has been closer to China as a result of China's rapid economic growth. Both nations are interested in furthering the development of their respective economies and are making efforts to work together. More than one thousand Israeli businesses are now active in China, where they are contributing to the growth of the manufacturing sector in the People's Republic of China by improving efficiency in the workplace and fostering higher levels of performance (McGregor, 2015).

Conclusion

In the post-Cold War era, the bilateral relations between the People's Republic of China and Israel face significant obstacles because the world is moving towards a multi-polar state and a second Cold War for economic predominance is being waged between the two economic superpowers, the PRC and the United States. The relationship between China and Israel began informally after 1979, but officially in 1992. There are numerous issues and complications in this relationship. The United States' closest ally is Israel, which the United States has supported financially, militarily, and diplomatically. Israel cannot disregard U.S. approval when determining its foreign policy because the Jewish lobby in the U.S. supports Israel and anticipates massive support from Israel. If Israel attempts to go against the will of the United States, it will be more costly for her, as Israel has been the largest recipient of US aid on multiple occasions. 

The United States is the world's preeminent economic power, and it aspires to maintain this position indefinitely. However, an economically developed China poses grave threats to the US's economic predominance in the world. The US attempts to contain China on multiple fronts. In many regions of the world, the United State's containment policy against China has been evident, and as part of this policy, the United States does not want Israel to become a closer ally of China.

Nearly every Muslim country in the world has diplomatic relations with China, which they view as an alternative to the United States. They have extensive business ties with China, but consider Israel to be an aggressor in the Middle East due to its conflict with the innocent Palestinians. Numerous Islamic nations do not recognise Israel as a nation. Pakistan, one of China's closest and most loyal allies, has never recognised Israel as a sovereign nation, whereas Israel has supported India in multiple conflicts against Pakistan throughout history. Huge Chinese interests, including exports and imports, are tied to the Islamic world, such as Iran and the Arab world, but Israel is an open enemy of these nations, and they are perpetually at odds. Israel is in open hostility with the Islamic world, and this hostility could lead to a catastrophic conflict. China would have to choose a side, and such a scenario could derail future Sino-Israeli relations.

There are a few factors that can permanently unite China and Israel, such as their cooperation in research development, technological innovation, and new inventions. Although China's economic development attracts Israel to China, Israel's technological innovation attracts China to Israel. This relationship is monitored by the United States, the United States fears this relationship, and in the future, the United States can implement robust checks and balances on the cooperation between China and Israel. Given that the superpower is dubious of this relationship, it follows that it cannot endure.

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