China and the Middle East in a Shifting Energy Landscape
China has long relied on the Middle East to secure much of the oil needed to fuel its rapid economic development. Now Chinese President Xi Jinping wishes to create an ‘ecological civilization’ that relies less on fossil fuels and more on renewable energy. As the world’s largest oil importer seeks to become greener and more […]
How China’s Afghanistan Policy Impacts Its Approach to the Middle East
The U.S. departure did not take Beijing by surprise. Likewise, Beijing has invested considerable thinking on how to avoid being part of the “graveyard of empires.” Yet while Chinese officials expressed satisfaction regarding the U.S. departure, these statements belie the reality it is now facing: with the United States gone, China will no longer benefit from the free regional security provided […]
‘The Battle at Lake Changjin’ and China’s New View of War
On China’s October 1 National Day holiday, while real-life People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fighter jets and other military planes sortied into the Taiwan Straits in record numbers, many Chinese celebrated by flocking to screenings of “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” breaking all box-office records. The 3-hour war epic commissioned by China’s propaganda department depicts a […]
China’s Interest in the Middle East: From Barrels to Bytes
China’s relations with the Middle East have long revolved around securing the energy it needs to fuel its economic development. But in recent years, Beijing has been securing another critical resource from the region: data. China’s leadership understands that data is the oil that fuels the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the key to achieving technological supremacy, […]
How Israeli healthcare could partner with China-led AIIB
תקציר בעברית בתחתית המאמר As the world continues to battle against a pandemic of epic proportions, upgrading healthcare systems, developing MedTech innovations, and improving emergency response capabilities have become critical endeavors for countries worldwide. For developing nations that lack the resources to realize these goals, the stakes are higher than ever. Israel, ranked fifth among […]
The real motivation behind China’s digital yuan
The People’s Republic of China does not seem to want people to think that its digital yuan holds any potential to influence global power dynamics. In March this year, China’s state-run Global Times ran a piece titled “China’s digital yuan trials completely irrelevant to geopolitics.” Nevertheless, analysts on the other side of the Pacific seem to harbor […]
China finance meets the 4th Industrial Revolution
The advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has spurred the development and integration of advanced disruptive technologies both within and across societies, with vast implications that extend from individuals’ daily lives all the way to the sphere of geopolitics. Perhaps nowhere is this phenomenon more striking than in China’s financial sector. The Huawei Intelligent Finance […]
How China views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The current fighting reveals just how difficult it will be for Beijing to maintain friendships with both sides. Recent weeks have seen Israelis and Palestinians engage in a conflict of the largest scale since 2014. More than 3,000 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza this past week, and for a brief period, several […]
China’s position on the Gaza-instigated war reveals long standing Chinese interests
On May 17, CGTN posted the statement of the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who chaired Sunday’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the Israel-Palestine situation. “We urge Israel to earnestly fulfill its international treaty obligations, lift the blockade and siege of Gaza as soon as possible, guarantee the safety and rights […]
Feeding 1.4bn people: a matter of national security
While Israel may not look at food as a national security issue, China certainly does. Until 30 years ago, food in China was scarce and the country was periodically plagued by famine. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that feeding 1.4 billion people has become a national priority and a primary focus of its […]