China-Israel Relations
Politics
Netanyahu vs TikTok: How China became a scapegoat for Israel’s image crisis
Faced with growing international pressure over the war in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned to blaming foreign powers — including China — for fuelling global criticism. But as Chinese academic Fan Hongda argues, targeting Beijing, especially over platforms like TikTok, risks further isolating Israel diplomatically and offers no real strategic gain.
Fan Hongda
23 Sep 2025
Politics
How the Iran-Israel conflict is rewriting China’s global playbook
The Iran-Israel conflict and subsequent US intervention have compelled China to rethink its geopolitical approach in the Middle East. But such a recalibration will be difficult, says commentator Imran Khalid, as Beijing must be able to balance its energy demands and economic ambition with security interests.
Imran Khalid
03 Jul 2025
Politics
Israel-Iran conflict stirs up patriotism among Chinese netizens
Amid the Israel-Iran conflict, Chinese netizens have likened Iran to China during the late Qing dynasty, and highlighted the effectiveness of Chinese weapons compared with Russian weapons. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Sim Tze Wei looks into the matter.
Sim Tze Wei
16 Jun 2025
Economy
China’s initiatives in the Middle East and Israel
When interacting with Middle Eastern countries, China often emphasises the importance of civilisation and development, as well as sympathy for the suffering of the people there, says academic Fan Hongda. This approach resonates with the people of the Middle East, and may offer a valuable development option in today’s uncertain world.
Fan Hongda
10 Jun 2025
Politics
China’s Middle East strategy in the Trump era: Navigating uncertainty
Though initially vocal in its support for the Palestinian cause, Beijing has tempered its stance in a calculated shift of geopolitical priorities. However, says academic Alessandro Arduino, this does not mean that China will see easy advancements in the Middle East.
Alessandro Arduino
03 Feb 2025
Politics
China’s Gaza mediation: Diplomatic tightrope or path to peace?
China’s commitment to a neutral, inclusive and legitimising mediation approach to the Gaza conflict offers a unique path towards resolving one of the most intractable conflicts in modern history, says academic Hao Nan.
Hao Nan
22 Aug 2024
Politics
Why won’t Washington succeed in curbing China-Russia trade?
US academic Zhu Zhiqun explains the China-Russia thorn in US-China relations, pointing out that US officials should ask themselves: is it realistic to expect Beijing to curb trade with Russia when Washington itself is forming all the security alliances to counter China?
Zhiqun Zhu
02 May 2024
Politics
Chinese academic: The Middle East today is not in a worse state
Academic Fan Hongda argues that viewed against its modern history filled with contradictions and struggles, the Middle East is not in a worse state today, despite the recent rise in military operations in a short span of time.
Fan Hongda
23 Jan 2024
Politics
Chinese academic: What China wants to see from the Gaza-Israel war
Academic Fan Hongda says that the Gaza-Israel war is dividing the world on the lines of whether or not they are on the side of the G7. Although there has been no large-scale military spillover yet, the political spillover of the Gaza-Israel war is obvious. For China, a stable and peaceful Middle East is what it wants most. Thus, it has a great stake in pushing for an end to the war.
Fan Hongda
29 Nov 2023
Politics
Chinese academic: No country can mediate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
In the absence of a solution to the Palestinian issue, the Palestine-Israel peace process will be at a stalemate, unless Israel is able to completely destroy Hamas and other Palestinian anti-Israel forces. In the short term, Israel's stance on Palestine, especially the Gaza Strip, is likely to harden, says Chinese academic Fan Hongda.
Fan Hongda
13 Oct 2023