My Take | China’s Middle East balancing act need not tip over into support for Hamas attacks

Recent comments supporting the legitimacy of armed resistance have raised questions about whether it was justifying the October 7 attacks on Israel

Beijing has tried to maintain good relations with Israel, its neighbours and the likes of Iran but now looks to be prioritising relations with the global south

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China has criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza and also accused the United States of being the main barrier to peace. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:17pm, 27 Feb 2024

For years, China has been one of the few countries to maintain cosy relations with Iran, the Arab states and Israel.

Although Beijing has never been a big player in Middle East politics, its position has reaped many economic benefits, from fuel imports from Iran and Saudi Arabia to imports of advanced technology from Israel in the 1990s.

Although Israel eventually stopped these sales due to pressure from the United States, it continued to have good economic relations with China.

That was why during the early days after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, Beijing was careful in its response, although it has not condemned the group’s actions.

Since then it has positioned itself as a champion of the global south against meddling in the region by the United States, but there is no sign it has any fundamental hostility towards Israel.

However, it has prioritised its relations with global south partners as well as putting its relationship with the likes of Iran, which is an important source of cheap energy, over that with Israel.