Where do China-Israel ties stand after closure of consulate in Chengdu?

In a sign of fraying ties amid the Middle East conflict, Israel’s consulate general in Chengdu has closed, with its consul general leaving his post, two years after a controversy stoked backlash among Chinese web users. Nevertheless, an analyst has downplayed the impact of the news, saying bilateral relations in recent years had already been strained. In a letter published on the consulate’s social media account on Wednesday, Gadi Harpaz described his five years as Israeli consul general in the southwestern Chinese city as “the most memorable of his diplomatic career” and said he was parting “with a deep sense of sadness and nostalgia”. “Although the consulate general is closing, the bridges of friendship, mutual respect and shared memories we built over the last five years will endure,” Harpaz wrote. Following an initial announcement in June, the consulate in Chengdu officially ceased operations in July. Israel currently operates consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, apart from its embassy in Beijing. Late last year, Israel announced it would close one of its diplomatic missions in China without specifying which, but the cancellation of a job posting for head of the Chengdu consulate had prompted widespread speculation. The South China Morning Post has reached out to the Israeli embassy in Beijing for comment. The news of the closure follows a controversy in 2023, when the Chengdu consulate shared what it called “a letter from an unknown Chinese friend”. The letter, handwritten in Chinese, was published just weeks after the Palestinian militant group Hamas led an attack on Israel in October that year. Israel responded with a declaration of war in Gaza and cut off supplies of food, water and power in the densely populated region that saw thousands of deaths in just two weeks. That same month, in his first explicit rebuke of Israel, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that its actions had “gone beyond self-defence”. In the letter, the writer, whose name was not revealed, expressed “staunch support for Israel and the long-suffering Jewish people”, while labelling Chinese web users who framed Israel as the aggressor and Hamas as heroes as “a group of misguided, historically ignorant fools” who would one day “feel ashamed of their stupidity”. The letter went viral online, with some Chinese questioning the author’s identity and noting the handwriting and phrasing did not appear to be those of a native speaker. To date, the Israeli military campaign has resulted in the deaths of more than 70,000 Palestinians, both civilians and fighters, and displaced nearly all of Gaza’s population. Beijing’s decision not to immediately condemn Hamas fuelled dissatisfaction in Israel, leading to a steep decline in public opinion towards China. According to a poll conducted in April 2024 by the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv-based think tank, more than half of respondents in Israel viewed China as hostile or unfriendly. Zhu Yongbiao, a Middle East analyst and director of the Centre for Afghanistan Studies at Lanzhou University, downplayed the Chengdu closure, describing it as “a natural phase in the normal development of bilateral ties”. The move should not be overinterpreted, nor did it mean that China-Israel relations were sharply deteriorating, Zhu said, adding that bilateral ties had already absorbed several shocks in recent years. “If Israel can realistically reassess both countries’ global standing and core interests … I believe there is still potential for relations between the two countries to recover and develop. China has no intention of maliciously damaging China-Israel relations.” The consulate’s closure comes amid signs of more friction between the countries. China has repeatedly pledged support for Palestine and urged a ceasefire in Gaza, asserting that a two-state solution is the only way to resolve the conflict. Following the outbreak of last year’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran, Beijing condemned Israel, accusing it of violating international law and Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. China has also repeatedly criticised the United States and Israel over their military actions against Iran this year and urged immediate ceasefires. The Middle East conflict has dragged on for months with no immediate end in sight. Although Washington and Tehran previously agreed to return to the negotiating table, the two sides have exchanged fire, and tensions have escalated in recent weeks. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that Israel might act unilaterally against Iran, even as Washington and Tehran appeared to be close to a deal.

Where do China-Israel ties stand after closure of consulate in Chengdu?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Amid recent bilateral friction, Beijing has no intention of maliciously damaging relations with Middle East country, analyst says

Amid recent bilateral friction, Beijing has no intention of maliciously damaging relations with Middle East country, analyst says