Not on the same page

There has been a facile assumption in India that the western Quad, comprising of India, UAE, Israel and the US formed last month, is also aimed at China. Two of its external actors — the US and India — may see it that way, but the other two — the UAE and Israel — do not share the zero-sum assessment of relations with China that are increasingly being held by New Delhi, and to an extent the US. Incidentally, both ‘Abrahamic’ countries are closer military allies of the US than is India. A recent conversation with some Israeli scholars brought out their nuanced view of ties with China and Tel Aviv’s concerns about the deepening US-China rift. ‘We have to understand China,’ said one scholar, ‘it has to be reined in’ but that can’t be done unless there is a better understanding of the drivers of its conduct. This view would surprise many Indians who probably believe that given our close ties with Israel and the US, Tel Aviv would be strongly supporting New Delhi against Beijing. The point may have been missed in India, but China and Israel have had close strategic military ties since the 1980s when Tel Aviv used its prowess in military technology to get close to Beijing. The US eventually blocked these in 2004 and India was able to gain the Phalcon airborne early warning system which was originally made for China. Since then, economic rather than the military relationship has gained salience. Israel’s technology innovation prowess and China’s industrial capacity make for a thriving partnership. A major focus of the China-Israel relationship is Chinese investment in Israeli companies and startups. Their focus is life sciences, software and IT, Internet, communications, semiconductors and clean technology. More than 1,000 Israeli companies are operating in China, mainly in the Pearl River Delta area. The Chinese have also begun operations in a port terminal in Haifa that has been leased to them. Israelis believe that ties with China are a huge strategic opportunity for them, even as they battle US pressure to curb technology ties.