Opinion | Amid trade war tensions, is Israel getting too close to China for America’s comfort?

Yigal Chazan says the US is worried about several Chinese infrastructure projects in Israel, including a commercial shipping facility near a naval base. While Israel has stopped selling arms to China, it still exports sensitive technologies

Reading Time:4 minutes

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, in 2013. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:30am, 12 Jan 2019Updated: 5:58am, 12 Jan 2019

America is believed to be increasingly concerned about Israel’s burgeoning economic ties with China, prompting some Israelis to question the wisdom of pursuing Chinese trade and investment so enthusiastically if it risks alienating their principal ally.

Washington’s fears were underlined last month when Israeli news reports suggested that the US Navy might choose to stop docking in Israel’s busiest port and naval base, Haifa. The US is said to be worried that the Chinese, who are set to run a commercial shipping facility in Haifa following a US$2 billion commitment, might use the port to boost their standing in the Middle East and gather intelligence about US interests, according to The Jerusalem Post.

The Haifa project appears to be one of Beijing’s plans to acquire major stakes in a series of ports worldwide, from Myanmar and Pakistan to Djibouti and Kenya, as part of its trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. Those projects have fuelled suspicions that some of the facilities may be used by China’s navy to extend its reach in regions subject to competing interests, such as the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean.

Retired US admiral Gary Roughead, a former chief of naval operations, has spoken of US reservations about the Haifa port deal. He pointed out that the Chinese port operators “will be able to monitor closely US ship movements, be aware of maintenance activity and could have access to equipment moving to and from repair sites”, Newsweek reported.

The magazine quoted him as saying that such factors would not prevent brief port calls but “would preclude homeporting and other protracted projects and initiatives”.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x