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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">China and Palestine: No To ‘Piecemeal Crisis Management’</h1>
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June 8th, 2023<h5>Ra<a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/author/ramzy-baroud/">mzy Baroud </a></h5></div></div></div><div class="gmail-content"><div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><div><p>Remarks by China’s United Nations Ambassador, Geng Shuang, on the situation in Occupied Palestine on May 24<a href="http://un.china-mission.gov.cn/eng/hyyfy/202305/t20230525_11083108.htm" target="_blank"> were</a> impeccable in terms of their consistency with international law.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Widening the context of the reasons behind the latest violence in Palestine and the May 9<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/8/israeli-jets-hit-targets-in-gaza" target="_blank"> Israeli war</a>
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.</p>
<p>Geng proceeded to discuss issues that have been relatively ignored, including “the plight of the Palestinian refugees.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>But is this position new?</p>
<p>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<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/ctech-us-israel-china-tech-exclusive-idCAKCN1R00DF-OCATC" target="_blank"> area</a> of advanced microchips technology.</p>
<p>However, the China-Israel affinity was motivated by more than mere trade.</p>
<p>Since its official launch, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has
served as the cornerstone of Beijing’s global outlook. The massive
project<a href="https://greenfdc.org/countries-of-the-belt-and-road-initiative-bri/" target="_blank"> involves</a> nearly 150 countries and aims to connect Asia with Europe and Africa via land and maritime networks.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Expectedly, such ambitions have been of<a href="https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/us-bill-cites-serious-security-concerns-with-chinese-presence-at-haifa-port-592561" target="_blank"> great concern</a> to Washington, whose naval vessels often dock at the Haifa Port.</p>
<p>Washington has repeatedly cautioned Tel Aviv against its growing
proximity to Beijing. US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, went as far as<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/pompeo-warns-us-could-curb-security-ties-with-israel-over-china-relations/" target="_blank"> warning</a>
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.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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 –<a href="https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjb_663304/wjbz_663308/2461_663310/201401/t20140106_468467.html" target="_blank"> called</a>
the Four-Point Proposal. The plan offered Chinese mediation as a
substitution for US bias and, ultimately, failed ‘peace process.’</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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<a href="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/" target="_blank"> article</a> in La Stampa that the “international balancing act is over” and “there are no safety nets.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Soon after China succeeded in striking a landmark<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/6/saudi-arabia-iran-agree-to-continue-efforts-to-establish-ties" target="_blank"> deal</a>
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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>“The United States should realize that the lives of Palestinian Muslims are equally precious,” Hua<a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-05/14/c_139946206.htm" target="_blank"> said</a> on May 14.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>In the recent Arab Summit<a href="https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2023/05/19/Arab-League-concludes-summit-adopts-Jeddah-Declaration-" target="_blank"> held</a>
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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Judging by China’s political discourse on Palestine – situated within
international and humanitarian laws – it seems that China has already
made its choice.</p>
<p>Feature photo | Illustration by MintPress News</p>
<p><b><i>Dr. Ramzy Baroud </i></b><i>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 ‘</i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vision-Liberation-Palestinian-Intellectuals/dp/1949762440" target="_blank"><i>Our Vision for Liberation</i></a><i>:
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</i><a href="http://www.ramzybaroud.net/" target="_blank"><i> www.ramzybaroud.net</i></a></p>
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