About SIGNAL – SIGNAL Group

About

Empowering Israel:
SIGNAL Group's Role in Navigating China's Global Rise

SIGNAL Group is a think tank that empowers Israel to address China’s rise on the world stage. A hub for capacity building and policy entrepreneurship, SIGNAL Group and its global network are a resource for Israel’s policy community regarding Chinese statecraft, China in the Middle East, and the US-China rivalry. SIGNAL Group engages Beijing and Chinese universities to redress misconceptions about Israel and the Middle East.

Policy

SIGNAL Group’s policy initiatives provide tools to manage more effective relations with China. The policy initiatives are designed to better enable Israel to navigate the U.S.-China rivalry, while dispelling misconceptions in China about Israel and the Middle East.

Our Global Israel Initiative (GII) advances an innovative agenda for Israel as a middle power on the global stage to bolster Israel’s agency and strategic autonomy. The GII seeks opportunities for Israel to forge new coalitions and diplomatic initiatives with partners in the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe. SIGNAL Group endeavors to develop fresh policy options to fortify Israel’s geopolitical position. SIGNAL Group’s policy work in China includes hundreds of briefings, dialogues and events engaging Chinese diplomats, experts, and scholars with prominent Israeli peers on topical strategic themes regarding China-Israel and China-Middle East affairs.

Research

SIGNAL Group’s research on China’s domestic developments and foreign affairs informs its policy work and contributes to developing actionable insights for Israeli decision-makers. Focusing on the opportunities and challenges associated with China’s growing role and presence in the Middle East, SIGNAL Group’s research team taps into its field work in China and its global network of expertise to augment its findings, policy recommendations, and initiatives.

University Programs

Israel Studies in China and the Indo-Pacific – Since 2011, SIGNAL Group has cooperated with Chinese universities to establish its signature model of Israel Studies Programs featuring a semester-long training program in Israel for Chinese university lecturers resulting in a course they develop about Israel to teach back home. Nearly 70 SIGNAL Group-trained lecturers annually expose thousands of Chinese students, including future diplomats, business leaders, and Middle East experts, to Israel’s history, society, and regional relations. In 2023, SIGNAL Group is expanding its Israel Studies Programs beyond the 20 Chinese universities to India and is assessing potential university cooperation with other countries in the region.

Engaging Israel’s national security & foreign policy establishment

Infused in all of SIGNAL Group’s work is a focus on enhancing knowledge and insights to support Israel’s decision-making regarding China. Through its Annual Policy Conference, regular briefings in Israel, in-depth research, and quarterly “China Policy Insights” in Hebrew, SIGNAL Group strives to foster greater understanding of Chinese statecraft with a focus on cultural intelligence. To that end, in 2023, SIGNAL Group launched the Goodman Fellowship, an executive training program focusing on experiential learning for mid-level civil service managers responsible for shaping Israel’s China policy. Creating a coterie of China expertise across the government, the Goodman Fellowship includes a SIGNAL Group-designed and led study tour in Beijing and Tokyo.