Israel-China: The Strategic Game: Is it possible to Build a New Bridge Between China and Israel? (in Hebrew. See an English translation below the Hebrew.)
BOOK REVIEW : Israel-China: The Strategic Game
By Carice Witte
Book review by Harold Rhode, Ph.D.
Rhode served in the US Office of the Secretary of Defense as an advisor on the Islamic World and the Middle East from 1982 to 2010. After his retirement, he traveled often to China and lectured in academic and government institutions, under the auspices of SIGNAL (Sino-Israel Global Network and Academic Leadership). He is now a Senior Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign and Security Affairs (JCFA) in Jerusalem.
China’s growing presence in the Middle East and growing role on the world stage is changing the strategic choices facing Israel. In Israel-China: The Strategic Game, Carice Witte draws on decades of direct engagement to examine how Israel can understand Beijing’s ambitions, recognize the limits of its regional influence, and make decisions with its eyes open.
Beijing’s support of Iran intersects with Israel’s security concerns, while U.S.-China competition shapes Israel’s choices in technology and trade. The book also relates the story of how Witte, an American immigrant, founded SIGNAL Group, an Israeli research and policy think tank. It follows her work with Chinese scholars and policymakers, Israeli officials, and international partners as she sought to redress Beijing's misconceptions about Israel and the Middle East. Alongside its geopolitical analysis it tells the story of establishing connections, opening doors, and sustaining dialogue.
Witte first visited mainland China in 1984 and returned decades later to a country transformed by economic growth and deeper global engagement. In the book, Witte discusses how China changed over the years of SIGNAL Group's work there. As China’s interests expanded, so did its presence in the Middle East. The book traces what that shift meant for Israel, from opportunities for cooperation to questions about sensitive technology and national security.
One recurring concern is how Israel should manage its relationship with China while remaining attentive to the interests of its closest ally, the United States.
Rather than treating that question as a choice with a simple answer, Witte examines the different interests at work and how those interests evolve as China's footprint grows in the Middle East and globally.
The book's scope extends from exchanges with Chinese institutions and the case of Haifa Port to the Belt and Road Initiative, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing U.S.-China rivalry. Witte also recounts how SIGNAL Group restarted dialogue with China after the attacks of October 7, 2023, despite the deterioration in relations between Israel and China. Her account of meetings in Beijing shows why direct engagement can remain valuable even when official positions diverge sharply. It can reveal how policies are understood, where interests differ, and where assumptions on either side need to be tested.
A central theme is the importance of cultural intelligence. Witte’s experience suggests that effective policy requires more than information about China’s economy or leadership. It requires attention to the country’s institutions, political language, and ways of approaching relationships. Listening carefully does not mean agreeing. It makes disagreement more informed and helps policymakers recognize when familiar assumptions lead them astray.
The book ultimately places Israel-China relations within a wider global context. Witte argues that Israel can exercise influence beyond its size by drawing on its technological strengths and working with countries whose interests overlap with its own. Her account charts SIGNAL Group’s expansion of dialogue to partners including India, Japan and South Korea, while asking how Israel can develop a more deliberate approach to China and the Indo-Pacific.
Israel-China: The Strategic Game is both a record of work conducted across changing political conditions and an invitation to think ahead. It asks not only how Israel should respond to China today, but also how it can build the knowledge, relationships and strategic habits needed to navigate a world in which China’s influence can no longer be treated as distant.
In short, for anyone interested in how to understand China’s relationship with Israel, the Arab World, and the Middle East at large, this is essential reading. It is one of the best ways to gain insight into how China understands its role in the world, and how China makes foreign policy. Bravo Carice Witte!
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