Monday, April 4, 2016

Israel's Arms Exports to China



Back in November 2015 the Israeli peace activist Jeff Halper released an informative book discussing the State of Israel's involvement in the global arms industry. Halper mentions many fascinating topics including Israel's arms trade with China which is discussed in Chapter 2.
India and China, which until the 1990s did not even have diplomatic ties with Israel, are now among its chief trading partners, particularly in the military and security sectors. (Jeff Halper, War Against the People, 2015, Introduction.)
In Chapter 2 Halper discusses Israel's arms exports to China including how the US cancelled Israel's sale of "Phalcon airborne warning and and control systems (AWACS)" to China for $250 million in 2000 and that Israel's Lavi fighter jet was the prototype for China's J-10 fighter jet.
Israel, said one US official, became a "back door to US technology that the United States won't sell [the Chinese]," while China looked to Israel for the arms and technology it could acquire from neither the United States nor Russia. ...
[Israel] has manged to remain China's second largest arms trading partner (following Russia). China is also Israel's second top export destination after the United States and the largest in Asia. In 2013, trade with China amounted to $11 billion, as Israel supplied it with radar systems, optical and telecommunications equipment, drones, flight simulators and other weapons systems and technologies, plus upgrades in target acquisition and fire control that enhance the capabilities of the older guided missile destroyers and frigates and technology it cannot acquire from either the United States or Russia. (Jeff Halper, War Against the People, 2015, Chapter 2.)
Would the COGs would ever mention such things to their followers? Many seem to enjoy scare mongering about China. This includes PCG and LCG as may be seen in this 2000 article by Douglas Winnail.

Halper notes that the State of Israel exports arms to many countries all over the world including the United States, European countries, India, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, etc. It is not just about China.

While discussing this topic Halper cites the following articles:
  • Israel's technology transfers to China, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, June/July 1997, pp. 70-72. [An abridged version of that article may be found here.]
  • The Israel-US Bilateral Relationship Needs to be Mended, National Interest, July 8, 2005.
  • The uncertain future of China-Israel relations, Al Arabiya, April 4, 2014.
Learning things like this can be saddening but we must give no place to hatred.

No comments:

Post a Comment