China has been playing a “cautious” and “muted” role surrounding the Israel-Hamas war similar to the wave it behaved when Russia invaded Ukraine, an expert has claimed.
China’s reluctance to condemn Hamas immediately after their October 7 attacks and its call on October 8 for the “relevant parties” to end hostilities underscored its diplomatic tightrope walk.
Allen Carlson, Director of Cornell’s China and Asia Pacific Studies program, characterised this approach to Daily Express US as “more a continuation of the balancing act it has attempted to maintain in the region ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Israel in 1992.”
However, within a week, Chinese diplomats began to criticize Israel, labelling Israel’s bombardment of Gaza as a form of collective punishment.
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China’s criticism of Israel may impede its desire to act as a peace broker in the Middle East and between Israel and Palestine. Despite achieving detente between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023, according to Carlson, the current conflict “lays bare” the difficult reality of China’s aspirations.
The China expert told the Daily Express: “Yes, China’s international influence has grown over the last decade…But, it is also notable how muted Beijing’s role has been in regard to Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine.
“Its position in Gaza appears to be quite similar. It feels more like a cautious observer, and sideline player, in the conflict, rather than a leading actor.”
During Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s visit to China in June 2023, Xi reaffirmed his belief in a state for the Palestinian people.
In November last year, China called on the UN Security Council to establish a “concrete” timetable for a two-state solution and a “comprehensive, just and lasting” settlement of the Palestinian issue.
According to Carlson, although it seems Xi Jinping supports a two-state solution, “it is far from clear just how supportive China is of such a development.”
However, Carlson cautioned: “Given just how improbable any such outcome is given the current state of affairs, speculation on such a solution is quite fanciful at best.”
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