In Soviet times, popular jokes often began this way: “So there was this Jew and this Chinaman...” Or “What do Jews and Chinese have in common?” Even the introduction of such a joke, back in those days, inspired laughter. However, these Jewish jokes, most of them thought up by Jews, did not stray far from the truth. Jews and Chinese met on the Great Silk Way many centuries ago. Both Chinese and Western researchers claim that Jews got to China through Iran and India and settled in the cities of the southern province of Hunan.
According to one legend, the Jews brought cotton seed with them, and thus gained the freedom to practice their religion. They were authorized to cultivate their land and to serve in the army. Many became high-ranking government officials and military leaders.
The history of Jews in China testifies that existence, under conditions of strong influence by the dominant culture and in separation from other centers of dispersion, resulted in the Jews’ full assimilation, with loss of their historical and religious roots. But many Chinese continue to consider themselves descendants of those Jews, and from time to time there are research findings that some leaders of communist China had Jewish ancestors.
And, many centuries later, after the creation of the state of Israel, a new stage of mutual relations―diplomatic, economic and cultural―between these two most ancient peoples began. During the Cold War, there could be no normal relations or communication with these states, as Moscow and Beijing both fully supported Arab nations. However, the situation began to change in connection with the confrontation between “the brotherly socialist countries.” The 1970s saw the start of normalization in the relationship between the United States and China, with Washington exporting modern weapons to China and viewing this communist country as a possible partner in the struggle with the main “Evil Empire”―the Soviet Union. The Israeli leaders deftly put the new situation to use and began to sell military technology and weapons to China after the 1970s, including advanced tanks, artillery systems and aviation components.
First and foremost, China was of interest to Israel as a potential market for military technology, especially during a period of sharp competition in this area. Israeli firms, making arms for the long-term defense of its country, were interested in the sale of military technology to China to stay afloat financially. There was one more important reason Israel sold weapons to China: close military relations between China and Israel resulted in some change in Chinese policies concerning Arab countries. And, as China’s global power and influence grew, it became extremely important for Israel that Beijing not return to its former policy of supporting Arab states.
Cooperation between China and Israel developed not only in the military area. Then-Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin, during a visit to China in October of 1993, offered to acquaint Chinese peasants with Israeli achievements in agriculture. Such a farm was created near Beijing, and experts from various parts of China travel there to learn about the latest achievements and breakthroughs in this area. Israel became an increasingly important exporter to China in such fields as agriculture, communications and protection of the environment.
A major landmark in the development of Israeli-Chinese relations was a visit to Israel by then- President Jiang Zemin in April 2000. The Chinese leader hoped that cooperation with Israel would constrict the domineering U.S. position on the near east.
The clear improvement of U.S.-Chinese relations is connected primarily with the joint struggle against terrorism.. It enabled Israel to make active deliveries of military technology to China. However, Washington and Beijing’s “honeymoon” was short-lived. Today, America’s leaders consider the transformation of China into a new superpower a threat to the United States in the 21st century. This difficult situation is complicated further by Washington’s fears that the export of new Israeli military technology to China will enable Beijing to reclaim Taiwan, possibly by using force.
American calls to Israel to stop the sale of military technology to China were so categorical that Israeli leaders felt they had no choice but to accept them. Israeli ties to the United States continue to remain Israel’s best guarantee of safety, especially during the continuing intifada and the approaching war with Iraq. Israel also does not want the American public to view the Jewish state as an important source of military technology for Communist China.
The cancellation of partially paid-for military deliveries to China will have negative consequences for Israel. First, it loses an extremely favorable market. Military exports to China has brought Israel more than $4 billion over the last ten years, an appreciable income for an economy in crisis. The cancellation of military contracts will induce Beijing to take a more pro-Arab stance. Many Israelis also hold the opinion that the tough Washington policy on this matter speaks, to no small degree, of the pressure by American companies interested in taking Israel’s place in the Chinese market of military technology.
Beijing’s reaction to Israel’s final decision on this matter was swift. The Chinese leadership began to lend more support to Palestinians and take more pro-Arab positions in the Security Council. This change in Chinese policy manifests itself in unexpected ways. During the then-President Zemin’s visit to Israel, a series of Chinese exhibitions on Albert Einstein was arranged. However, prior to the opening of this exhibition last year, the Chinese Minister of Culture demanded the removal of any and all mentions that Einstein was one of the founding fathers of the state of Israel and the fact that the great scientist was offered the first presidency of Israel (which he declined). The Chinese authorities shocked the world community with this move. Foreign journalists living in Beijing think that this display of anti-Semitism was out of character. The Chinese authorities are traditionally quite tolerant towards Jews living in their country. The governor of Shanghai recently resolved to open a Jewish religious center and to expand a local synagogue. The real reason for the change in the exhibition was simply that relations between China and Israel have so severely deteriorated that Beijing looks for ways, like the cancellation of the exhibit, to signal to Arab countries that they can expect goodwill from China, especially in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Israel is a hostage in the struggle between two great powers. The cancellation of military contracts with China is the price Israel must pay for its close relations with the United States. It has become fashionable, in recent years, for Israel to blame its difficulties on anti-Semitism, be it in the European countries, in international organizations or even on the part of the American Secretary of State. The dramatic changes in Chinese-Israeli relations shows that Israel’s role on the international landscape depends on a lot of no-less-important factors like the geopolitical games of large super-powers and their national and economic interests. The Soviet jokes about the Chinaman and the Jew appear prophetic. However, the rigid realities of the 21st century prove that it would require a great deal of effort on the part of both parties for a change in this international situation: to restore trust between these two ancient peoples.
