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Netanyahu's Visit to China

(Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University) Yoram Evron - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to make an official visit to China in early May 2013. New people are now holding top leadership positions and this will be an opportunity for Israel to meet China's new leaders. China has been rethinking its Middle Eastern policy since the start of the Arab Spring, which damaged China's economic interests in the region. Wang Jisi, China's leading scholar of international relations, created a stir in October 2012 by asserting that China needs to adopt a new strategy, "march West," strengthening its influence and position in Central Asia and the Middle East. In spite of China's traditional support for the Arab line and its energy ties with the Muslim states, it credits Israel with several important assets. One is that Israel holds one of the main keys to stability in the region; another is that the events of the Arab Spring have demonstrated that Israel is an island of stability in the heart of a volatile region. In addition, Israel is seen in China as a source of advanced technologies. Finally, China feels that strengthening its relationship with Jerusalem would be a sign that it gradually is coming to possess a foothold in the region.
2013-05-03 00:00:00
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