(Strategic Assessment-Institute for National Security Studies) Doron Ella - China's technological and qualitative military progress enables it to expand its exports of weapons and military equipment to its allies in the Middle East, such as Iran and Syria. In 2000-2015, Chinese weapons exports increased by a factor of 6.5. As of 2017, China became the world's third largest weapons exporter, after the U.S. and Russia. Israel must therefore closely follow the volume and types of Chinese weapons sold to countries considered to be enemies. Israel must also consider the possibility that China will emerge as a significant strategic competitor in this sphere. If China decides to invest in Syrian reconstruction, Israel will have to try to reach understandings with Beijing about the investments in order to preserve Israel's freedom of action in the country. The writer is a research associate at INSS.
2018-08-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive