China is seeking to mediate in the war between Israel and Hamas. Beijing has condemned violence by both parties, but public hostility towards Israel prevails.
Standing on the banks of the Huangpu river in China’s financial capital Shanghai, one cannot miss the Peace Hotel, a tall building with a green copper roof that overlooks the surrounding areas. The hotel has hosted state guests such as US Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton as well as stars like Charlie Chaplin and George Bernard Shaw.
What is less well known is that the building — built by the Jewish businessman Victor Sassoon in 1929 — was called the Cathay Hotel until 1949. It was the tallest building in the city for several years.
Sassoon moved to Shanghai in the 1920s and built up a business empire there. During World War II, he supported the building of a settlement of around 2.5 square kilometers, where around 20,000 European Jews fleeing Nazi persecution found protection.
But after the war and the seizure of power in China by the communists, most Jews left Shanghai. Victor Sassoon was forced to sell his companies to the Chinese Communist Party for a pittance.
The Sassoon case highlights the disdain with which the communists treated the Jews and, later, the then newly formed state of Israel.
During the Cold War, China always declared solidarity with its Arab allies and often voted against Israel at the United Nations. Indeed, it was not until 1992 that China and Israel officially established diplomatic relations.
Trade main focus of China’s ties with Israel
Since establishing formal diplomatic ties, China has viewed Israel primarily as a trading partner. Both sides have traded goods worth about $22 billion (€20.5 billion) so far this year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to travel to China in October 2023 and the conclusion of a free trade agreement between the two sides was high on the agenda.
DW
