The Red Sea region represents a vital strategic waterway linking the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. This region has long been a focus of geopolitical competition between global and regional powers alike. In recent years, Chinese-Iranian relations have witnessed remarkable development, which has further complicated the political dynamics in the region. Israel, as a country with direct strategic interests in the stability of the region, finds itself facing new challenges resulting from this shift in the balance of power and the crises taking place in the Red Sea region, whether related to maritime security, regional disputes, or foreign military presence, casting a shadow on Israeli National Security It raises complex questions about how Israel positions itself in this changing landscape.

First, Chinese-Iranian relations:

These are the bilateral relations between the People’s Republic of China and Iran. These relations are characterized by economic, strategic and political cooperation, and their roots go back to ancient times via the Silk Road. At present, China is considered Iran’s largest trading partner, and it imports oil and gas from it, and exports goods and technology to it. China also supports Iran’s position on international issues, such as the nuclear agreement and US sanctions. In March 2021, China and Iran signed a 25-year strategic partnership agreement, which includes enhancing cooperation in the fields of energy, infrastructure, trade, investment, security and culture. This agreement aims to strengthen Chinese influence in the region and provide Economic support for Iran in the face of American pressure

Secondly, relations between China and Israel:

Historically, relations have been complex and changing, as their beginnings go back to 1947, when the United Nations General Assembly voted on Resolution 181 to partition Palestine. China, which was under the rule of the Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek during that period, abstained from voting on the resolution, while 33 countries voted in favor of it, 13 against it, 10 countries abstained, and one was absent. Accordingly, relations between Nationalist China and Israel were good at first, but they changed after Israel declared its establishment on the lands of the State of Palestine in May 1948.

In March 1949, Nationalist China recognized Israel and supported its accession to the United Nations. In October of the same year, the Communists overthrew the Nationalists and established the People’s Republic of China. Israel was the first party in the Middle East to recognize People’s China. In January 1950, the Israeli Foreign Minister (Moshe Sharett) informed his Chinese counterpart that Israel considers the People’s Republic of China to be the sole legitimate government of China. However, relations between China and Israel remained cold for 40 years, from the 1950s to the 1990s. The reason for this was the friendship and alliance between Israel, the United States, and the West, and China’s attempt to win the affection of Arab countries.

After addressing the historical aspects of relations between China and Iran and China and Israel, we will try to imagine a possible scenario, which is the impact of Chinese supply chains on Israel and Iran’s role in obstructing them.

China is Israel’s largest trading partner, and exports many goods and products to it, especially in the fields of technology and communications. Israel uses its seaports, such as the Port of Haifa and the Port of Ashdod, to receive these shipments from China, which pass through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandab Strait. This strait is a vital strategic point, as it separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa, and is considered an important shipping corridor for oil and global trade. Iran, which suffers from US sanctions and international isolation, is trying to strengthen its influence in the region and challenge the United States and its allies, including Israel. Iran supports the Houthis in Yemen, who control the country’s western coast, which overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The Houthis launched attacks on warships and commercial ships in the strait, raising fears of disrupting navigation and trade. China owns many companies working in the field of infrastructure and transportation in Israel, and operates some Israeli ports, such as the port of Haifa. This has raised concerns in the United States, which fears that China will use these ports as platforms for spying or influencing Israeli national security. Therefore, any threat to Chinese supply chains in the region may negatively affect relations between China and Israel, may increase tensions between Iran and Israel, and may put the United States in a difficult position between its two allies.

Weeks after the Israeli attack on Gaza, one of the founders of the Mossad’s cyber unit, in a letter addressed to Yuli Edelstein, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset, warned of the negative impact of the Chinese incursion into the Israeli economy. The Israeli newspaper Al Calcalist published the letter at the beginning of January 2024. It focused on Chinese projects in Israeli infrastructure, such as the container terminal in Haifa Port, which is managed by a Chinese company. A member of the cyber unit expressed concern that China would use these projects to disrupt vital operations in Israel. This is what happened when the Chinese company COSCO, the giant in the shipping field, stopped all its ships from docking in Israeli ports, which sparked chaos in the Israeli economy. The company justified its decision by fear of Houthi attacks in Yemen on its ships, but Israel rejected this justification and considered it an excuse to put pressure on Israel and solidarity with Gaza, as Israel saw that the Cosco decision had more political than economic motives.

The question here is: What are the Chinese goals behind this decision? What are its repercussions on Israel? Could it lead to a serious crisis?

In March 2015, the Israeli Minister of Transportation ((Yisrael Katz)) signed a contract with the Shanghai International Ports Group to manage a new terminal to be built in Haifa Bay. Katz considered that day historic in the history of Israel, and expressed optimism in cooperation with the Chinese group that runs the largest container port in the world, which is Shanghai Port, and despite the United States’ objections to the agreement, Israel implemented it. Six years later, Israel finished building the new terminal in Haifa Bay and handed it over to the Chinese company in 2021 to operate and manage it for 25 years until 2046. On August 28, China sent the ship “Cosco.” Shipping Al-Baz, affiliated with the Chinese shipping giant COSCO, docked at the new terminal, in order to demonstrate the capabilities and capabilities of the new terminal to the world, as this ship weighs about 154 thousand tons and accommodates about 14,568 equivalent containers, making it the largest container ship to visit the occupied territories throughout history. The ship loaded empty containers that had been accumulating in Israeli ports throughout the Corona epidemic.

From the above, we can say that China has begun to play a very vital and important role in the Israeli maritime transport sector, as it has entered the labor market from more than one aspect. It entered into the operation of the port line and also the shipping lines to and from Israeli ports. This relationship continued and developed increasingly over the course of two years, and subsequently, COSCO announced in May 2023 the opening of a new shipping line with the Israeli port of Eilat to transport Chinese cars to the Israeli market.

COSCO’s work was limited to transporting goods through container ships only, but for the purpose of supporting the popularity of Chinese cars in the Israeli market, the Chinese decided to operate the new shipping line specialized in transporting cars to the port of Eilat on the Red Sea, and this step was direct competition from China with the Israeli SIM company. Which controlled the sea freight movement of Chinese cars to the Israeli market, but suddenly, this competition turned into joint cooperation between the Chinese and Israeli companies, and this relationship stabilized until November 2023.

This month, the Houthis in Yemen, or the Ansar Allah group, began exploiting their strategic location in the Red Sea to attack ships associated with the Israeli occupation, and with their announcement that the situation would continue until the end of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea expanded and included any ship heading to Israeli ports, no matter what. It was her nationality, which caused major disturbances in navigation traffic in one of the most important shipping and shipping lanes in the world, as international shipping companies, even if they were not heading to Israel, began to avoid passing through the Red Sea, so last December, COSCO changed the direction of its ships to the Cape of Good Hope. Instead of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which increased the cost of shipping rates, taking into account the time difference.

For this reason, COSCO’s decision came to stop dealing with Israeli ports, and this decision is considered harmful to the Israeli economy. Considering COSCO is the fourth largest container shipping company in the world, its decision could encourage other international companies to abandon their relationship with Israel in the context of navigation and shipping, taking into account that the economy The Israelis depend on maritime transport for 99% of their trade. They cannot bear these consequences at all. The port of Eilat has become almost halted due to Houthi attacks, and the ports of Ashdod and Ashkelon have become unstable due to resistance attacks in Gaza, making the port of Haifa in the north the most important Israeli port at the present time. The most important terminal currently in Haifa Port is the terminal operated by the Chinese Shanghai International Company. Also, the most important company operating in this terminal is the Chinese Cosco, which makes this complex situation the biggest blow to the Israeli port at this sensitive time.

Israeli analysts believe that China has no justification for their decision, and they insist that the safest ships are Chinese ships. Their evidence for this is that no ship belonging to the Chinese COSCO was targeted in the Red Sea, and this is confirmed by official data. From the beginning of the crisis until January 2024, at least 26 ships were targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea, and no ship was among them. Chinese or affiliated with COSCO. This means that China follows a dual policy towards Israel. It benefits from trade relations with it, and at the same time supports the Palestinian cause and opposes the aggression against Gaza. This puts Israel in a difficult and embarrassing position, as it depends on China in vital areas, but fears its negative impact on its security and interests. This raises an important question: Can Israel continue to coexist with China, or will it be forced to confront it?

According to the Israeli newspaper Globes, it strongly criticized the decision of the Chinese company COSCO to stop dealing with Israeli ports, and attributed it to the strong ties between China and Iran, the main ally of the Houthis in Yemen. The newspaper explained that China imports more than 90% of its oil from Iran, which makes its Chinese ships safe from attacks. The Houthis are in the Red Sea, while the rest of the ships heading to Israel are at risk. This raises questions about the real motives for the Chinese decision, and whether it is a commercial or political decision.

((It can be said that the Chinese decision falls within a foreign policy that supports Iran and opposes Israel, especially in light of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, but whatever Cosco’s motives, Israel is facing a new and difficult reality, which is that it has become boycotted by a giant global shipping company, which is what It threatens its economy and security. This necessitates Israel to find alternative solutions to overcome this challenge))

It can be said that Israel has been searching for alternatives for some time, as recent news about the arrival of the first shipments of commercial goods from Dubai to Israel via a new land bridge, passing through Saudi and Jordanian territories, sparked a lot of controversy amid reports confirming the success of the pilot project, while Other authorities denied the existence of such a corridor, and according to a report by the Israeli “Walla” website, the first 10 trucks successfully arrived at the Israeli port of Haifa, coming from Dubai ports and after a land trip through Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The length of the journey is about 2,550 km and may take 4 days, at a cost of $1.2 per kilometre, which makes it slightly more expensive than traditional sea shipping. This project comes in an attempt to provide an alternative to shipping methods by sea, but Jordanian officials denied these reports, stressing that there is no Such a land bridge, and they affirmed Jordan’s firm commitment to the cause of the Palestinian people. The details of this project remain unclear, in light of the conflict between claims of its success and official denials from the Jordanian authorities, but it remains an indicator of attempts to find alternatives to global trade routes based on the Red Sea, amid the escalation of Security tensions in the region.

The opinions, facts and content presented here reflect the author only. Ain Libya does not bear any responsibility.