Prior to October 7, observes Grant Rumley, Chinese diplomats were accustomed to “calibrating their language to avoid offending either side too greatly” when speaking of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. They have since shifted more firmly to the anti-Israel side, both because of China’s alliance with Russia and Iran, and also, presumably, to garner sympathy from anti-Semitic constituencies in the Muslim world and in the West:
China has seized on the conflict to criticize not only Israel but by extension the U.S. and its position in the region. . . . Beijing sensed an opportunity to diminish the U.S. standing while boosting its own.
For this reason alone, Israel and America should be wary of China’s efforts to insert itself into the power vacuum in Syria. Rumley continues:
China will undoubtedly try to position itself with whatever governing authority emerges in Syria. Beijing will be able to offer recognition and reconstruction aid, as well as a friendly voice should the emerging new Syrian leadership seek a non-Western voice of support. [But] Russia’s invasion of Ukraine overburdened its economy and military, creating an overreliance on China, Iran, and North Korea. Many Syrians may be loath to embrace Beijing too closely, given its ties to Moscow and Tehran. This . . . presents an opportunity for the U.S. and other Western countries to drive a wedge between the new Syrian government and its traditional backers.
The incoming Trump administration has a rare opportunity. Donald Trump may believe that Syria is “not our fight,” but the competition with China is very much ours and will undoubtedly be a focus of his administration. Here, in Syria, is an opportunity for the U.S. to increase its position at the expense of China.
Read more on The Hill: https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5065887-china-criticizes-us-israel-war/