Skip to main content

Chinese Military Chief Makes First Visit To Israel



The chief of China’s armed forces visited Israel on Sunday in what analysts saw as part of a Middle East reassessment by Beijing following the political upheaval of the “Arab Spring.”
 
General Chen Bingde was scheduled to tour an army base and hear security briefings, the Israeli military spokesman said, describing the unprecedented visit as part of “the development and upkeep of international cooperation as a means of facing mutual challenges.”

Israel and China established ties almost two decades ago, but the relationship has been clouded by US disapproval of Israeli arms sales to the Asian superpower.

The Israelis have also been troubled by Beijing’s past reluctance to back international sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

Gedaliah Afterman, China expert with the Jewish People Policy Institute, an Israeli think-tank, saw in Chen’s visit a sign of “the growing Chinese interest in the relationship with Israel because of the instability in the surrounding Arab states.”

“They were caught ill-prepared, they didn’t expect the events in the Middle East,” Afterman said, adding that China could try to renew defense deals with Israel.

There was no immediate comment from the Chinese embassy.

Israeli officials described Chen’s visit as part of wider bilateral contacts and played down any prospect of defense deals being discussed. China hosted Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak in June.

An Israeli defense ministry statement said Barak and Chen discussed “ties with the Palestinians Authority, the situation in Pakistan and Iran and the fight against international terrorism.” 

Read More AT:
Arab News

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Pakistani JF-17 A Thunder OR A Blunder

Pakistan has witnessed new defense acquisitions in this decade than any other, and in the center of it all is the new fighter which was designed by China with partial funding from Pakistan. It is formally known as JF-17 Thunder. When the fighter was in development, Pakistani online communities were jumping with excitement comparing it with its arch rival India’s modern combatants Su-30MKI, Mig-29S & Mirage-2000H. There were claims of it featuring western Radars and long range missiles, & Chinese ordering some due to its superior capabilities. But the reality is far from it. China having spent significant amount of money into a fighter which it is never going to use, most probably forced Pakistan to accept its avionics to offset some its development costs. Chinese who are known for their self reliance first and quality next, are further downgrading JF-17s capabilities with their poorly copy-pirated avionics. Along with their dubious weapons, any chance of JF

Pakistani F-16s Shoot Down RAF Eurofighter Typhoons During Air Combat Exercises In Turkey

Pakistani pilots flying modernised versions of the 1970s-vintage F-16 Falcon fighter have beaten the RAF's brand-new Eurofighter Typhoon superfighters during air combat exercises in Turkey, according to a Pakistani officer. Analysis: The RAF Typhoon, formerly known as the Eurofighter, should nonetheless have been vastly superior in air-to-air combat whether BVR or close in within visual range (WVR). The cripplingly expensive, long-delayed Eurofighter was specifically designed to address the defects of its predecessor the Tornado F3 – famously almost useless in close-in, dogfighting-style air combat. The Typhoon was meant to see off such deadly in-close threats as Soviet "Fulcrums" and "Flankers" using short-range missiles fired using helmet-mounted sight systems: such planes were thought well able to beat not just Tornados but F-16s in close fighting, and this expectation was borne out after the Cold War when the Luftwaffe inherite

India Planned Attack On Pak Navy Mehran Base To Kill Chinese Engineers

The terrorist attack on Karachi's Mehran Naval Station on May 22 was conceived and launched by India with the primary objective of killing the Chinese engineers present there, a Pakistani newspaper has claimed, citing 'informed sources'. Four to six Taliban terrorists had entered PNS Mehran on May 22, destroying two maritime surveillance aircraft and killing ten military personnel during their 17-hour siege of the naval air base. "India is the only country in the region that feels troubled by the Pakistan Navy, which had awfully beaten the Indian Navy in Operation Dwarka of 1965. Since then, it has been an earnest desire of India to harm the Pakistan Navy but it was perhaps not possible on the battle front, hence it struck the PNS Mehran," The News quoted sources as saying.