China-Israel complexities, Pew survey on perceptions of China, and PRC-UAE joint air force drills
Israel–China Dialogue Is Required to Prevent Further Deterioration of Relations - INSS. This was written by Tuvia Gering, whose Discourse Power newsletter is likely already in your feed. Tuvia and a team from INSS went to Beijing in May and over several meetings with academics, think tankers and officials, conveyed the message that Israeli attitudes towards China had deteriorated significantly since a Pew survey was conducted in 2019. Back then only 25% of Israelis had a negative impression of China. In an INSS survey from May the number of Israelis who saw China as unfriendly or hostile was at 54%.
Upon hearing the data, the common message our interlocuters asked us to carry back to Israel is that China is “neutral” in the current war and remains interested in maintaining friendly constructive relations with Israel. Reading between the lines, it becomes clear that references to “neutrality” are not reflective of reality, but rather of China’s desire to avoid further damaging its relationship with Israel. Some noted that China’s position undermines the historical ties between the two nations. They pessimistically added that as the war continues and the rivalry with the United States escalates, Beijing will continue to “use Israel as a stick to beat the Americans,” much like “the United States uses Ukraine against China.”
This was before the CASCF joint statement, which firmly positioned the PRC on Palestine’s side, to the point that I think it will be hard to get the China-Israel bilateral on track. Check out Tuvia’s piece, and if you didn’t see my ‘Voices from the Region’ post from last month, there are some other Israeli perspectives on China there that you will find interesting.
Views of China and Xi Jinping - Pew Research Center. Related, Pew released new survey data on international perceptions of China. The broad trend is that in high-income countries views of China and Xi Jinping had worsened, while in middle/low-income countries perceptions tend to be relatively positive. 35 countries were surveyed and 52% had a negative view of China/Xi and 35% positive. About what you’d expect at this point; the CCP’s not great at foreign policy at the best of times and these are far from the best of times.
Three Middle East - North African countries were surveyed (depending on your definition of MENA; I’m looking at you State Department folks): Tunisia, Turkey and Israel. The favorable/unfavorable splits were consistent with other regions. Tunisia was 25% unfavorable and 68% favorable, Turkey 66/26, and Israel 62/33. The remainder was either undecided or refused to answer.
Chinese Automakers Dominate Israel’s Market - Caixin. Not surprising: unpopularity isn’t having the economic impact some might expect. China is Israel’s top trading partner, and that’s not likely to change despite the deteriorating political relationship.
The first half of 2024 has seen Chinese car brands not only dominate the Israeli automotive market but also set new benchmarks in electric vehicle sales, highlighting a significant shift in consumer preferences and market dynamics.
BYD is leading the pack and Chinese EVs have capture 61% of the Israeli market.
I spoke with Gedaliah Afterman for my podcast in late 2023 - really good episode, go download it now - and his assessment lined up with this; political relations worsening while trade continues.
China, UAE air forces conduct second joint training - China Military Online. Not much in here but I’ll poke around. Last summer the Chinese and Emirati air forces held joint training exercises, Falcon Shield. Apparently these build upon that, lasting ‘from late June to late July’. If anyone has any insights on this I’d love to hear them.
Falcon Shield-2024 is being held in XUAR, just like last year's inaugural. Apparently the same stated focus areas i.e. improved mutual understanding and strategic cooperation. Source: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/china-uae-hold-2nd-annual-air-force-drill-in-xinjiang/3270820