Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to China to meet President Xi Jinping for the first time in six years, according to the Times of Israel.
The two nations have held discussions in recent days about the planned trip next month, the newspaper reported, citing people in Israel it didn’t identify. The visit would be intended to send a signal to Washington that Israel has other policy options, the people said.
China’s Foreign Ministry and the Israeli embassy in Beijing didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
See: Saudis Look to China for Business as US Influence Wanes
China has been growing its influence in the Middle East, which has become less of a diplomatic priority for the US in recent years. Earlier this month, during Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s visit to Beijing, Xi proposed an international peace conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Chinese leader also said he was was willing to “play an active role” in facilitating peace talks over the Palestinian issue, which have been stalled since 2014, with no obvious political horizon for ending it.
In March, China helped broker a tentative detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia after years of diplomatic deadlock between the rivals. The deal marked a departure from Beijing’s long-stated reluctance to involve itself in foreign disputes.
The two nations have held discussions in recent days about the planned trip next month, the newspaper reported, citing people in Israel it didn’t identify. The visit would be intended to send a signal to Washington that Israel has other policy options, the people said.
China’s Foreign Ministry and the Israeli embassy in Beijing didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
See: Saudis Look to China for Business as US Influence Wanes
China has been growing its influence in the Middle East, which has become less of a diplomatic priority for the US in recent years. Earlier this month, during Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s visit to Beijing, Xi proposed an international peace conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Chinese leader also said he was was willing to “play an active role” in facilitating peace talks over the Palestinian issue, which have been stalled since 2014, with no obvious political horizon for ending it.
In March, China helped broker a tentative detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia after years of diplomatic deadlock between the rivals. The deal marked a departure from Beijing’s long-stated reluctance to involve itself in foreign disputes.
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