Israel in ‘precarious position’ as China cozies up with Iran, expert says

‘Any notion that China could serve as a viable alternative to the U.S. as a hegemonic guarantor in the region is illusory,’ said Zineb Riboua, a research fellow and program manager at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East.

By Izzy Salant, JNS

Israel is in a “precarious position,” as China has demonstrated a “clear inclination” to align with Iran and its proxies after Oct. 7, Zineb Riboua, a research fellow and program manager at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, told JNS.

Beijing opposes not only the Jewish state but also U.S. allies in the region, according to Riboua. “This has been evident both rhetorically and practically,” she said.

“Rhetorically, Beijing has framed the United States as the primary culprit for instability in the Middle East, reinforcing anti-American narratives,” she told JNS. “Practically, by continuing to purchase Iranian oil, China has provided Tehran with critical financial resources, indirectly enabling its network of regional proxies.”

Riboua, who recently published a commentary article about “China’s ambitions in the Middle East and Africa,” told JNS that China’s shift “places Israel in a precarious position, where it must now recognize that China cannot be relied upon as a strategic partner on a wide range of issues.”

“Beijing’s interests in the region are fundamentally transactional, and while it may seek to deepen economic ties with Israel—particularly in the high-tech sector—it does so primarily to serve its own technological ambitions rather than to foster a genuine partnership,” she said.

In the analysis, Riboua wrote, citing U.S. intelligence sources, that China has provided weapons directly to the Houthis in Yemen in exchange for safe passage of Chinese ships.

This has, in part, allowed the Houthis to operate even at a limited capacity since Hezbollah’s collapse last year and the regime’s weakened state, according to Riboua. (The Trump administration is taking action to redesignate the Houthis as a terror group.)

Experts told JNS in January 2024 that Israel must decrease its reliance on China before Beijing can disrupt vital infrastructure.

Bilateral commodities trading (excluding diamonds) between China and Israel peaked at $21 billion in 2022, according to the Institute for National Security Studies, a think tank affiliated with Tel Aviv University.

Riboua told JNS that unlike the United States, “which provides Israel with military, diplomatic and strategic backing, China offers no real security guarantees and does not share Israel’s core geopolitical concerns.”

“It has consistently sided with actors hostile to Israel, whether through its rhetorical alignment with Iran’s anti-Western axis or its economic support that indirectly empowers Israel’s adversaries,” she said.

“Any notion that China could serve as a viable alternative to the U.S. as a hegemonic guarantor in the region is illusory.”

But Riboua thinks that China will probably keep intensifying “its efforts to cultivate closer ties with Israel, particularly in areas of advanced technology, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity—sectors where Israel is a global leader.”

“Beijing’s strategic interest in these domains stems not from a commitment to Israel’s security or prosperity, but rather from its broader ambition to compete with the United States in next-generation technologies,” she said.

“This dynamic places Israel in a delicate position, as it must balance the economic opportunities of engagement with China against the geopolitical risks of empowering a state that ultimately seeks to undermine U.S. influence,” she added.