[News] China and Palestine: No To ‘Piecemeal Crisis Management’

[Anti-Imperialist News]

mintpressnews.com
<https://www.mintpressnews.com/china-stance-palestine-no-piecemeal-crisis-management/284952/>
China and Palestine: No To ‘Piecemeal Crisis Management’
June 8th, 2023Ramzy Baroud
<https://www.mintpressnews.com/author/ramzy-baroud/>

Remarks by China’s United Nations Ambassador, Geng Shuang, on the situation
in Occupied Palestine on May 24 were
<http://un.china-mission.gov.cn/eng/hyyfy/202305/t20230525_11083108.htm>
impeccable in terms of their consistency with international law.

Compared to the United States’ position, which perceives the UN, and
particularly the Security Council, as a battleground to defend Israeli
interests, the Chinese political discourse reflects a legal stance based on
a deep understanding of the realities on the ground.

Articulating the Chinese thinking during a UNSC ‘Briefing on the Situation
in the Middle East, including the Palestine Question,’ Geng did not mince
his words. He spoke forcefully about the “irreplaceable” need for a
“comprehensive and just solution” that is based on ending Israel’s
“provocations” in Jerusalem and the respect for the right of “Muslim
worshipers” as well as the “custodianship of Jordan” in the city’s holy
sites.

Widening the context of the reasons behind the latest violence in Palestine
and the May 9 Israeli war
<https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/8/israeli-jets-hit-targets-in-gaza>
on Gaza, Geng went on to state a position that both Tel Aviv and Washington
find utterly objectionable. He unapologetically condemned the ‘illegal
expansion of (Israeli Jewish) settlements’ in Occupied Palestine and
Israel’s “unilateral action,” urging Tel Aviv to “immediately halt” all its
illegal activities.

Geng proceeded to discuss issues that have been relatively ignored,
including “the plight of the Palestinian refugees.”

In doing so, Geng has enunciated his country’s political vision regarding a
just solution in Palestine, one that is predicated on ending the Israeli
occupation, halting Tel Aviv’s expansionist policies, and respecting the
rights of the Palestinian people.

But is this position new?

While it is true that China’s policies on Palestine and Israel have
historically been consistent with international law, China, in recent
years, attempted to tailor a more ‘balanced’ position, one that does not
impede growing Israeli-Chinese trade, particularly in the area
<https://www.reuters.com/article/ctech-us-israel-china-tech-exclusive-idCAKCN1R00DF-OCATC>
of advanced microchips technology.

However, the China-Israel affinity was motivated by more than mere trade.

Since its official launch, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has
served as the cornerstone of Beijing’s global outlook. The massive project
involves
<https://greenfdc.org/countries-of-the-belt-and-road-initiative-bri/>
nearly 150 countries and aims to connect Asia with Europe and Africa via
land and maritime networks.

Due to its location on the Mediterranean Sea, Israel’s strategic importance
to China, which, for years, has been keen on gaining access to Israeli
seaports, has doubled.

Expectedly, such ambitions have been of great concern
<https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/us-bill-cites-serious-security-concerns-with-chinese-presence-at-haifa-port-592561>
to Washington, whose naval vessels often dock at the Haifa Port.

Washington has repeatedly cautioned Tel Aviv against its growing proximity
to Beijing. US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, went as far as warning
<https://www.timesofisrael.com/pompeo-warns-us-could-curb-security-ties-with-israel-over-china-relations/>
Israel in March 2019 that, until Tel Aviv re-evaluates its cooperation with
China, the US could reduce “intelligence sharing and co-location of
security facilities.”

Fully appreciating the current, but also the potential global power of
China, Israel labored to find a balance that would allow it to maintain its
‘special relationship’ with the US while financially and strategically
benefiting from its closeness to China.

Israel’s balancing act encouraged China to translate its growing economic
prowess in the Middle East into a political and diplomatic investment as
well. For example, in 2017, China put into motion a peace plan – initially
formulated in 2013 – called
<https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjb_663304/wjbz_663308/2461_663310/201401/t20140106_468467.html>
the Four-Point Proposal. The plan offered Chinese mediation as a
substitution for US bias and, ultimately, failed ‘peace process.’

The Palestinian leadership welcomed China’s involvement, while Israel
refused to engage, causing an embarrassment to a government that insists on
respect and recognition of its rising importance in every arena.

If balancing acts in geopolitics were possible back then, the
Russia-Ukraine war brought it all to a sudden end. The new geopolitical
reality can be expressed in the words of a former Italian diplomat, Stefano
Stefanini. Italy’s former ambassador to NATO wrote in an article
<https://www.lastampa.it/audio/audioarticoli/2023/05/03/audio/sindrome_cinese_per_la_premier_melonila_via_della_seta_e_una_bomba_a_orologeria-12784392/>
in La Stampa that the “international balancing act is over” and “there are
no safety nets.”

Ironically, Stefanini made this reference to Italy’s need to choose between
the West and China. The same logic can also be applied to Israel and China.

Soon after China succeeded in striking a landmark deal
<https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/6/saudi-arabia-iran-agree-to-continue-efforts-to-establish-ties>
between Saudi Arabia and Iran on April 6, it again floated the idea of
brokering peace between Palestine and Israel. China’s new Foreign Minister,
Qin Gang, reportedly consulted with both sides on “steps to resume peace
talks.” Again, the Palestinians accepted while Israel ignored the subject.

This partly explains China’s frustration with Israel and also with the US.
As China’s former ambassador to Washington (2021-23), Qin must be familiar
with the inherent US bias towards Israel. This knowledge was expressed by
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying during the latest Israeli
war on Gaza.

“The United States should realize that the lives of Palestinian Muslims are
equally precious,” Hua said
<http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-05/14/c_139946206.htm> on May 14.

A simple discourse analysis of the Chinese language regarding the situation
in Palestine clarifies that Beijing sees a direct link between the US and
the continued conflict or the failure to find a just solution.

This assertion can also be gleaned from Ambassador Geng’s most recent UNSC
remarks, where he criticized “piecemeal crisis management,” a direct
reference to US diplomacy in the region, offering a Chinese alternative
that is based on a “comprehensive and just solution.”

Equally important is that the Chinese position seems to be intrinsically
linked to that of Arab countries. The more Palestine takes center stage in
Arab political discourse, the greater emphasis the issue receives in
China’s foreign policy agenda.

In the recent Arab Summit held
<https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2023/05/19/Arab-League-concludes-summit-adopts-Jeddah-Declaration->
in Jeddah, Arab governments agreed to prioritize Palestine as the central
Arab cause. Allies, such as China, with great and growing economic
interests in the region, immediately took notice.

All of this must not suggest that China will be severing its ties with
Israel, but it certainly indicates that China remains committed to its
principled stance on Palestine, as it has over the decades.

Soon, the relationship between China and Israel will face the litmus test
of US pressures and ultimatums. Considering Washington’s unparalleled
importance to Israel, on the one hand, and the Arab-Muslim world’s
significance to China, on the other, the future is easy to foresee.

Judging by China’s political discourse on Palestine – situated within
international and humanitarian laws – it seems that China has already made
its choice.

Feature photo | Illustration by MintPress News

*Dr. Ramzy Baroud **is a journalist, author and the Editor of The Palestine
Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with
Ilan Pappé, is ‘**Our Vision for Liberation*
<https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vision-Liberation-Palestinian-Intellectuals/dp/1949762440>*:
Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out’. His other books
include ‘My Father was a Freedom Fighter’ and ‘The Last Earth’. Baroud is a
Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global
Affairs (CIGA). His website is** www.ramzybaroud.net*
<http://www.ramzybaroud.net/>

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not
necessarily reflect MintPress News editorial policy.

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