How China Uses the Israel–Hamas Conflict to Reshape Global Politics
Udumbara
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When the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, the world’s attention was fixed on the immediate crisis. For the first few days, the world’s focus and sympathies were with the Israeli victims. But within a week or so, the world’s empathy quickly shifted toward the people living in Gaza and in the cause of Hamas.
However, throughout the war and the numerous efforts to achieve peace, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has viewed this conflict not as a problem to be solved but as an opportunity to expand its global influence. It sees it as an opportunity to leverage its trade and financial ties with governments in the region to increase support for Hamas, thereby elevating its own prestige in the Middle East and throughout the Muslim world while degrading both America’s and Israel’s standing.
Financially Supporting Hamas Through Iran
For example, China is Iran’s largest oil customer. And even though China buys it at discounted prices, this much-needed cash flow into Tehran bypasses U.S. sanctions and not only helps keep Iran afloat. Additionally, it funds Iran’s anti-Israel proxy war-fighting machine, which includes Hamas.Diplomatic Coverage at the UN and Elsewhere
China is also a major counterweight to U.S. diplomatic efforts at the United Nations. As a member of the U.N. Security Council, China often blocks or hinders U.S. efforts to pass pro-Israel resolutions.Controlling Perception Through Propaganda
If the first casualty of war is the truth, the CCP is as complicit as Hamas in spreading disinformation.With its massive media presence and global infrastructure, Beijing shapes how billions of people view the conflict. State media organs such as Xinhua and CGTN consistently push the narrative that the United States is the real villain in the conflict, calling America a “biased” and “destabilizing force” and that Israel’s response to the attacks is extreme and disproportionate, redefining it as illegitimate “collective punishment.”
Leveraging Intelligence and Digital Influence
Related to these efforts is the CCP’s application of its intelligence apparatus and digital influence to manipulate the political discourse about the war in Western countries. The idea is to divide the populations of the Western democracies through skewed social media reporting and biased intelligence reports to influence political leadership and weaken their support of Israel and the United States. The desired outcome is to disrupt political discourse and discredit the U.S. political system, making it look weak and ineffective on the world stage.Humanitarian Aid as a Soft Power Play
Beijing’s very public humanitarian aid to Gaza not only helps Palestinians, it bolsters the image of China in the eyes of the Arab world, making it look more like a global humanitarian rather than the world’s largest slave state. Providing both financial support and basic necessities, as well as infrastructure assistance, the CCP has successfully built China’s reputation as a friend to the Palestinian people and the Arab world.Meanwhile, Western nations’ aid is often held up by scrutiny and fears of corruption within Hamas. For the 57 countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the contrast is clear. China looks more like a compassionate global player than the Western democracies do.
Ultimately, the CCP’s goals regarding the Gaza War go well beyond access to cheap oil; they’re about achieving global power. Beijing is using the tragedy in the Middle East to push for a new world order in which its influence is supreme, and, consequently, the United States is no longer dominant in the region or the world. Furthermore, it takes the world’s attention away from the CCP’s rising aggression in the Asia-Pacific region, specifically regarding Taiwan.
