Israel’s Netanyahu to Visit China

(L) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the first working cabinet meeting of the new government at the Chagall Hall in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem May 24, 2020. (Abir Sultan/Pool via Reuters), (R) Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping attends a meeting with delegates from the 2019 New Economy Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Nov. 22, 2019. (Jason Lee-Pool/Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on June 27 that he had been invited to visit China, according to a statement from his office.

In a meeting on Tuesday with members of the U.S. Congress, Netanyahu informed them that he had received an invitation for an official visit to China and that the Biden administration was notified of the coming visit a month ago, the statement said.

The Israeli prime minister made it clear to the members of Congress that the “security and intelligence cooperation between the U.S. and Israel is at an all-time high, and emphasized that the U.S. will always be a vital, irreplaceable ally of Israel.”

Beijing has not confirmed the visit, and a date has not yet been announced.

This will be Netanyahu’s fourth visit to China, and the first since March 2017.

The invitation comes as Netanyahu is still waiting for an invitation from President Joe Biden for an official visit to Washington.

In March, Biden said Netanyahu would not be invited for an official visit to Washington in the near term amid protests in Israel against the government’s plans to reform the judiciary.

The Biden administration has been critical of Netanyahu’s planned legal reform.

CCP Rebuffs Closer Ties With US

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a “robust conversation” with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other top diplomats when he traveled to Beijing last month, ending a two-day trip that some critics argued was a win for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Blinken, the most senior U.S. official to travel to China since Biden took office, met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and the regime’s top diplomat, Wang Yi.

“We have an interest in setting up crisis communication mechanisms to reduce conflict risk,” Kurt Campbell, the National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, said during a June 14 press call.

Xi, who heads the CCP’s military as chairman of the Central Military Commission, refused to give the nod.

This was not the CCP head’s only demonstration of power. The meeting at the Great Hall of the People took place at an unusual U-shaped table, with only Xi at the head. U.S. and Chinese officials were lined up on either side. Blinken sat to his right.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) attends a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19, 2023. (Leah Millis/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

In addition, when Blinken arrived for this visit, he was met at the airport by a low-level official, Yang Tao, the director general of the foreign ministry’s Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs.

Among the U.S. priorities in the Beijing discussions was the resumption of bilateral exchanges on the military level. But “at this moment, China has not agreed to move forward with that,” Blinken told reporters, even though he had “repeatedly” raised the issue.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) is welcomed by Director General of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Yang Tao and U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns (L) as he arrives in Beijing on June 18, 2023. (Leah Millis/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

CCP Strengthens Presence in Middle East

The CCP has deepened its involvement in the Middle East in recent months.

It brokered the resumption of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March.

In April, Qin spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki. During the talks, Qin said Beijing is ready to assist in peace talks based on a two-state solution.

In June, the CCP announced a strategic partnership with the Palestinian leadership. It came during a meeting between the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and Xi.

During their meeting, Xi, sitting across from Abbas, said that Beijing is willing to assist the Palestinians in achieving internal reconciliation and promoting peace talks with Israel, according to Chinese state media.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping (R) and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas attend a welcoming ceremony in Beijing on June 14, 2023. (Jade Gao/Pool via Getty Images)

Xi said Beijing and the Palestinian Authority are good partners that trust and support each other. He noted that the CCP supports the cause of the Palestinian people to restore their national rights, and he laid out a general three-point proposal to resolve the conflict with Israel, in which China hopes to play the role of a mediator.

Frank Fang and Dorothy Li contributed to this report.