9th Annual Conference on Israel’s China Policy

9th Annual Conference on Israel's China Policy

On Thursday, May 29, 2025, join leading experts, policymakers, scholars, and commentators from Japan, India, Europe, China, the US and Israel for SIGNAL Group’s 9th Annual Conference, “China, Israel, and the Post-October 7 Middle East”.

At the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange conference hall, voices from across the political and policy spectrum will examine the shifting dynamics of China, Israel, Indo-Pacific countries and the broader Middle East in the context of a rapidly changing global order.

Thursday, May 29, 2025

8-11 am

U.S. Eastern

3-6 pm

Jerusalem/Cairo

4-7 pm

Abu Dhabi

5:30-8:30 pm

New Delhi

8-11 pm

Beijing/Singapore

9 pm-Midnight

Tokyo

Key Themes

“Changes Unseen in a Century”: Chinese Statecraft and World Order
Trump 2.0 and the U.S.-China Contest: Implications for American Allies & Strategic Partners
China-Israel Relations in a Shifting Middle East

Israel’s Indo-Pacific Future: Strategy, Partnerships, and Opportunity
Navigating Global Disruption: The U.S.-China Competition and Israel

Speakers

Mr. Malik is a recognized specialist on India’s policy landscape and the intersection of business and politics. His areas of expertise include India’s foreign and trade policies and the government’s approach to international business, resilient supply chains and national capacities. Prior to his current position, Mr. Malik served for three years (2019-22) as Policy Advisor/Additional Secretary in India’s Ministry of External Affairs. In that capacity, he worked closely with the senior leadership of the Ministry to help shape and explain India’s foreign policy. Between 2017 and 2019, Mr.

Malik served as speech writer and spokesperson for the 14th President of India, President Ram Nath Kovind.

Before entering government, Mr. Malik was a Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), one of India’s preeminent think-tanks. Earlier, in June 2013, Ashok was named to the Australia India Institute-ORF Chair for Indo-Pacific Studies. Published in 2012, his book, India: Spirit of Enterprise, encapsulated the story of the growth of India’s leading private sector businesses. Mr. Malik began his career in the news media, serving in senior editorial positions in leading Indian publications that included Times of India, India Today, and Indian Express. In 2016, he was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honors.

Prior to joining the Carnegie Endowment in 2008, Dr. Levite was the principal deputy director general for policy at the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission (2002 to 2007). He also served as the deputy national security adviser for defense policy and was head of the Bureau of International Security and Arms Control (an assistant secretary position) in the Israeli Ministry of Defense. In September 2000, Dr. Levite took a two-year sabbatical to work as a visiting fellow and co-leader (with Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall) of the Discriminate Force Project at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford University.

Before his government service, Levite worked for five years as a senior research associate and head of the project on Israeli security at the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies (subsequently renamed INSS) at Tel Aviv University. He has taught courses on security studies and political science at Tel Aviv University, Cornell University, and the University of California, Davis. He has been awarded the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award at Tufts University’s Institute for Global Leadership and the Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la Legion d’Honneur.

Malik served as speech writer and spokesperson for the 14th President of India, President Ram Nath Kovind.

Commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1987, and during his 36 years of service, he commanded two ships and a frontline anti-submarine warfare and anti-shipping helicopter squadron. Having served at the Indian Navy’s strategic apex level offices where, as Director Strategy, Capt. Parmar was part of the core team of the Indian Navy’s unclassified maritime security strategy Ensuring Secure Seas: Indian Maritime Security Strategy (2015), He also carried out regional maritime assessments and completed the doctrine development plan. Prior to retiring, he was the Executive Director and Senior Fellow at the National Maritime Foundation. His main areas of research include national and maritime strategy and security related aspects in the Indo-Pacific, piracy, HADR, and international maritime law with a focus on lawfare.

Prior to that, was Chief Business Officer at NSO from 2020 to 2021. In 2014, Mr. Lahav joined IAI’s UAV (MALAT) group, as a division marketing manager and was promoted to General Manager. Before joining IAI, Mr. Lahav served for three decades in a wide array of operational and command positions in the Israeli Air Force, first as a combat plane navigator, squadron commander, and finally as Uvda Airbase commander. In his final position with the IDF, he served as Military Attaché to France, from 2011 to 2014. Mr. Lahav holds a BSc degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from Ben Gurion University and an Executive MBA from the Kellogg-Recanati program in Tel Aviv University.

He began government service in 2009 as a Presidential Management Fellow. Mr. Tripmacher has served in a variety of roles during his career, including as Special Advisor to the Vice President of the United States for Europe and Russia from 2020-2021. From 2017 to 2019 he served as Deputy Director of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations’ Washington Office, advising the U.S. Representative to the UN on a variety of functional and regional policy areas including China. Other assignments include a secondment to the UK Cabinet Office in London. Mr. Tripmacher earned a B.A. in History from Boston College and an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Elected to the Knesset for the first time in 2003 for the Likud Party, MK Gamliel has previously served as Minister of Intelligence, Minister of Environmental Protection, Minister for Social Equality, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Deputy Minister for the Advancement of Young People, Students and Women. Among other roles, she chaired the Knesset’s Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality. She also served as a member of the Knesset’s Finance Committee, Economics Affairs Committee, and the Education, Culture and Sports Committee. MK. Gamliel is also a member of the Young Leaders Community of the Davos World Economic Forum and was the first woman Chairperson of Israel’s National Students’ Union. She holds an LL.M. from Bar Ilan University, a LL.B. from Ono Academic College, an M.A. in Philosophy and a B.A. in Middle Eastern History and Philosophy from Ben-Gurion University.

An Honorary Fellow of the Middle East Institute (MEI) at the National University of Singapore, Mr. Steiner is, concurrently, an adjunct lecturer on International Relations and Strategic Studies at Reichman University (formerly IDC Herzliya). Before joining SIGNAL Group, Mr. Steiner was a senior research fellow at Reichman University’s Institute for Policy and Strategy, managed the Herzliya Conference Series (2007-2013), and served as the executive director of the Atlantic Forum of Israel. Mr. Steiner earned his MA (cum laude) in International Relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Having served in this position since 2016, he previously served as director of the Northeast Asia department and oversaw the opening of Israel’s consulates in Guangzhou and Chengdu, China. He served in Israel’s consulate in Shanghai and studied Mandarin. Mr. Shagrir earned his M.A. in East Asian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He was a leader of the Meretz political party and served two full terms as Member of Knesset (2009-2015) for Meretz. Prior to his political career, he was a long-time journalist and TV news personality, and served as chief U.S. correspondent and commentator for Channel 2 News. In 2014, he was granted the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award by the Israeli Institute for Democracy and founded “Israel Hofsheet”, an NGO to promote pluralism and reject religious coercion.

Prior to that, he was director of research and head of the national intelligence directorate at the Ministry of Intelligence. Before joining the government, he was a business development executive with RAFAEL and served in the IDF for 25 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He earned his Ph.D. in International Relations from Bar-Ilan University.

He is also research fellow at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University. Dr. Boms is a member of the board of the Israeli Council of Foreign Relations and the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in Schools and the Co-Founder of CyberDissidents.org, a network of bloggers from the Middle East that focuses on freedom of expression and the promotion of dialogue in the region. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Haifa, two Master’s degrees in the fields of Political Science and Judaic Studies from the University of Maryland, as well as a bachelor degree in Education and Political Science from the University of Haifa.

Before joining CFR, Doshi was deputy senior director on President Joe Biden’s National Security Council (NSC. Concurrently, Dr. Doshi is an assistant professor in Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. He is the author of The Long Game: China’s Grand Strategy to Displace American Order (2021). Prior to his government service, Dr. Doshi was a fellow at the Brookings Institution and Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center. Dr. Doshi received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and his PhD from Harvard University focusing on Chinese foreign policy. He was also a Fulbright fellow in China and is proficient in Mandarin.

He has lived and worked in the U.S., UK, and Israel, and worked across China, India, Ukraine, and Africa. He previously served as Managing Director of APCO’s operations in Israel and the UK. Mr. Feder’s industry expertise spans energy, technology, agriculture, and financial services. He has also been involved in various humanitarian initiatives. Prior to joining APCO, he worked as a public policy program coordinator in the Washington, D.C., office of the Union for Reform Judaism. Mr. Feder holds a M.A. in Public Policy from the Tel Aviv University School of Government. He earned his B.A. in International Relations and East Asian Studies from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Is Research Professor and Director of the Institute of Middle East Studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), which he joined in 1997. He is the author of The History and Reality of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt: The Trend of Political Islam in Middle East (2015). He has extensively published reports on the Middle East for CICIR.

After a two years’ role as Assistant Research Fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, Amb. XIAO started his professional diplomat career in 1998. He served in China’s diplomatic missions in Teheran, Ankara, and Cairo and led a distinguished career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of West Asian and North African Affairs where he served in senior positions, including as Deputy Director General respectively. Prior to his current position, he served as Ambassador to Greece. Amb. XIAO earned his Ph.D. degree in History from Peking University in 1997.

He is a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University. He is mainly engaged in the study of Middle Eastern politics and international relations and has published four monographs and various academic articles. In 2023/2024, Prof. FAN was a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley. Since 2010, he has conducted in-depth studies in Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.

In 2011, Ms. Witte initiated Chinese-Israeli Track II exchanges and launched an annual program in Israel for Chinese faculty on teaching Israel Studies, leading to the establishment of Israel Studies Programs at universities across China. In 2022 Ms. Witte led the launch of the organization’s expanded strategy, the Global Israel Initiative, establishing bilateral and mini-lateral ties with countries of the Indo-Pacific, bringing Israel’s middle power strengths to the table, currently focusing on Japan, India and South Korea. Having conducted over 2000 briefings in China, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific, Ms. Witte established an annual conference on Israel’s China policy in 2016 that expanded to include the Indo-Pacific in 2025. In 2023, she led the development of an executive education program on China and Chinese statecraft for Israeli mid-career officials.

He is a China expert who combines deep analytical expertise with nearly two decades of hands-on experience in Chinese technology ecosystems and policy environments. As an independent researcher and strategic advisor, he provides critical insights on China’s technological advancement, industrial policies, and their implications for the global business landscape, national security and geopolitics. Drawing from his intimate understanding of China’s innovation landscape and policy framework, Yuval helps organizations navigate the complexities of China’s evolving role in the global technology order and its broader geopolitical significance.

A senior fellow in the Indo-Pacific Program of the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. (GMF) and leads its Stockholm China Forum. Before joining GMF, Dr. Ohlberg worked as an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, where she focused on China’s media and digital policies as well as the Chinese Communist Party’s influence campaigns in Europe. Prior to that, she was an An Wang postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and a postdoctoral fellow at Shih-Hsin University in Taipei. She spent several years living and working in Greater China. She is co-author of Hidden Hand: How the Communist Party of China is Reshaping the World (2020). Dr. Ohlberg has a doctoral degree in Chinese studies from the University of Heidelberg and a master’s degree in East Asian regional studies from Columbia University

Conference Agenda

SIGNAL Group’s Annual Conference Series on Israel’s China Policy was inaugurated in 2016 and expanded in 2023 to include the Indo-Pacific. While specific themes vary every year, the mission of the conference series is to inform Israeli strategic thinking on evolving relations with China and the Indo-Pacific arena. To that end, the conference draws together senior Israeli and international participants from government, business, academia, and think-tanks to assess Israel relations with China and the Indo-Pacific, the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific and their impact on the Middle East.

Titled “China, Israel, and the Post-October 7 Middle East”, the ninth annual conference will examine the recalibration of China’s posture in the Middle East and its policy toward Israel following Israel’s intelligence and operational successes that are reshaping regional dynamics—from Lebanon and Iran to Syria and Gaza. These shifts have brought the China-Israel relationship to a critical juncture, following their low point in the immediate aftermath of October 7. With efforts now underway to restore ties, the conference will examine the trajectory of bilateral relations, assess Israel’s strategic options amid evolving regional and global shifts, and consider China’s growing role in the Middle East, its ambition to lead the “Global South,” and the intensifying U.S.-China competition under President Trump’s second term.

The conference will also shed light on Israel’s Indo-Pacific future. Renewed momentum behind the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), along with deepening interest of Indo-Pacific powers – India, Japan, and South Korea – to engage and collaborate with Israel present a unique opportunity. These developments reaffirm the core premise of SIGNAL Group’s Global Israel Initiative: that Israel’s most effective strategy for navigating China’s rise and the U.S.-China competition is to operate as a middle power with a strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific. Held at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, the conference will feature both closed roundtable sessions in the morning and open high-level plenaries in the afternoon.

Highlights from the 8th Annual Conference

May, 2024

8th Annual China Policy Conference:

“China's Rise and the Global Israel Initiative”

SIGNAL Group’s 2024 annual policy conference was held 230 days after the October 7th massacre propagated by Hamas, which marked the onset of the first war in Middle East in the era of Great Power Competition (GPC). The conference highlighted the contrasting roles of global powers, with the U.S. engaged actively in the conflict, though with mixed results, and China observing from the sidelines, seeking to leverage perceived U.S. shortcomings. During the war, China’s stance toward Israel has taken on an increasingly adversarial tone, aligning more closely with Moscow and Tehran.

The conference aimed to provide the Israeli policy community with insights into China’s rise amid shifting regional and global dynamics. SIGNAL Group also launched its expanded strategic agenda, the Global Israel Initiative (GII). The premise of GII is that the most effective strategy for Israel to address both China’s rise and the U.S.-China rivalry is to focus on the Indo-Pacific and act as a middle power.