This is neat and all, but hasn't China been reluctant to take any position at all with the genocide on Palestine?
Hands off is better than actively supporting Israel I guess. But they're also a major trade partner with Israel too right? Or have I been duped?
Edit: it does look like China has voted for a ceasefire at this point. Early on, not so much.
This is an Israelisn’t source, but the INSS/Tel Aviv University put China-Israeli trade at $17 billion annually, mostly Israel importing Chinese goods. Does note that it’s a small amount compared with Israel’s trade with US and the EU. Also worth mentioning that it’s a tiny fraction of the $690 billion annual U.S.-China trade.
Thanks for the numbers for some perspective. You can hear stuff online, and then not know what it means concretely. Seems pretty small.
That is more trade in dollars per capita for Israel compared to the US or EU though
Hands off is better than actively supporting Israel I guess.
China is in the same place as all the other post-industrial nations wrt the Suez Canal. They need to play nice with everyone in the region to keep trade flowing. The Chinese policy response to every conflict in the region is to be diplomatic and remain unaligned so that when this finally burns itself out they won't be on the wrong side.
But they're also a major trade partner with Israel too right?
Israel de facto controls the Suez. They've got a knife to the neck of Israel and a gun pointed at Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq. That's what gives them so much clout in the region.
Since the Chinese have their eyes on the development of Western Africa and the Red Sea is a vital trade corridor into Europe and the more densely populated areas of the Middle East, they're functionally in bed with Israel whether they want to be or not. In that light, the Houthis closing the canal fuck them as much as anyone.
But unlike the dipshits at the Pentagon, Chinese officials are continuing to pursue a non-confrontational strategy of deescalation.
Chinas really deep in on the socialism in one country ideology. Trading with everyone you're not at war with really is the end result of the idea.
Obviously internationalists won't like it
This meme would only make sense if China wasn't one of Israel's biggest trading partners, even after October 2023.
"You guys ready to talk about ratcheting down the tensions in the Taiwanese straight?"
"NO PEACE WITH TAIWAN! ONLY WAR WITH YEMEN!"
