The recent presentation by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the Iran nuclear deal showed the incredible intelligence capabilities of Israel. We also learned that the first country to be privy to this invaluable intelligence was the United States. Intelligence is just one element of the U.S-Israel “special relationship.” The U.S-Israel relationship benefits the U.S military and intelligence services tremendously. However, Israel has generated significant value to the U.S economy, in particular to the hi-tech sector. Technology giants such as Intel, IBM, Google, Apple, HP, Facebook, Amazon, and many others could point directly to their Israeli operations as being a key factor in giving their companies a technological edge.
Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated in his speech at the UN in 2016, that Israel has no better friend than the United States. President Trump has also stated that the United States has “no better friend anywhere.” However, the “special relationship” between the two countries could be jeopardized if an Israel-hating Democrat is elected president. Many in the Democrat party are developing a more anti-Israel tone to appease their growing Muslim voting base. The Congressional Black Caucus has become increasingly critical of Israel. Potential presidential candidates such as Senator Cory Booker, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand are slowly abandoning Israel in exchange for the Muslim vote. Senator Sanders has total disdain for Israel as well. Senator Sanders has also been appallingly sympathetic to jihad groups.
So which country would benefit the most from a weakened or de-emphasized U.S-Israel relationship? The answer is China. China is working relentlessly to overtake the United States as the leader of the world. China is investing tens of billions of dollars in its tech sector. China has also stolen billions of dollars worth of intellectual property from the United States, particularly during the Obama administration, an administration that had total contempt for the U.S-Israel relationship.
China has taken notice of how successful U.S technology firms have been in Israel. As a result, Chinese tech giants are rapidly investing in the Jewish state. In 2016 alone, Chinese companies invested $16.5 billion in Israel. In 2017, bilateral trade between the two countries increased to 11 billion dollars. Chinese tech companies such as Lenovo, Baidu, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Kuang Chi have already set up research centres in Israel. Chinese conglomerate Tencent Holdings has become a major player in Israel as well. This week, Jack Ma, the CEO of China’s largest technology company, Alibaba, is visiting the new Alibaba research centre in Tel Aviv. Jack Ma will also be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu after he receives an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University. In the next two years, China and Israel will sign a free trade agreement as well.
The Chinese (who are not fools) place little to no importance to the BDS Movement, especially when it comes to their economic relations with Israel. China cares about the abundance of Israeli technology and innovation, and how that can benefit China. In contrast, the vast majority of Democrats are only interested in what will get them elected. Many anti-American Democrats would not think twice about abandoning Israel in favor of the valueless “Palestinians.” Many Democrats would also not have any issue with embracing the BDS Movement, at the expense of the U.S technology, military, and intelligence sectors. If someone like Bernie Sanders is elected president, and “gifts” Israel to China, the U.S will pay a price in the age of high-technology. A big price.
“Jack Ma In Israel: A Look At The Alibaba Founder’s Impact On The Startup Nation,” b
Over a decade ago, just before Israel was widely known as an innovation superpower, and well before the publication of the book “Start-up Nation” which then became Israel’s moniker, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and business magnate and investor Warren Buffett each paid high-profile visits to Israel.
Gates, one of the wealthiest people in the world and a prolific philanthropist, made the trip in 2005 when Microsoft already had a growing presence in Israel. Headlines at the time were filled with his praises for Israel as an integral part of Silicon Valley and a place with many technological talents. Buffett’s visit in 2006 came months after he acquired Israeli manufacturing company Iscar for a reported $4 billion.
Both of these visits were very closely covered, much like celebrity visits are, with every complimentary utterance by the American giants of industry making the news. The trips marked a stamp-of-approval for Israel’s hi-tech ecosystem and heralded a new era of recognition for the country’s tech abilities. Both Gates and Buffett have since grown their interests in the country with various investments.
Now, Israel is being paid a visit from another influential business and tech billionaire – Jack Ma, the founder and chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, with revenues of close to $160 billion in 2017.
This is Ma’s first trip to Israel, where he will meet with Israeli political and business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs. The exact itinerary of the visit is still under wraps but Ma arrived on Monday with an entourage of 35 senior Alibaba executives and has meetings scheduled with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with Minister of Economy Eli Cohen….
@ Edgar G.:
@ Edgar G.:
On reflection, I think the title had something in it like a “Red Star”…My memory is rather scattered I haven’t though of it since then.
The books themselves were always hard back and coloured red.
@ Edgar G.:
It may even have been a mid-late19th cent. picture ; I recall that is was a faded sort of photo, and they had Chinese appearance.. I suppose that when you visited the Kaifeng community it was the revived one. What I’m taking about is what I recall from about 50-60 years ago. And that was only my seeing the photo and reading the account, which could have occurred anything up to a hundred years before.
So we are talking about two different things.
And talking about China, as a kid, around barmitzvah age, I recall that my late elder brother used to get books nearly every month from a book club called “The Left Book Club”. I had no idea that it had political connotations, which I now believe it did. But one of the books was to do with Mao .I think the title was “The Long March”…something like that, can’t recall by whom. I often felt tired, whilst reading it, like the marchers must have been. ButI recall it as rivetting.
@ Buzz of the Orient:
The time I was talking about was when some intrepid searcher found the old synagogue hidden away somewhere, and the photo showed these 5 women with the information I have mentioned. There was no functioning community and had not been within memory. I don’r remember the period.
Incidentally my nephew, now retired, for a number of years was the senior captain with Air China. He sent me fascinating brochures along with some of the speeches he would give to incoming pilots etc. It seems that they were building the line up then. Very colourful and interesting.
@ Edgar G.:
Yes, Chennault was in charge of the Flying Tigers, but he answered to General Stilwell, the American General in charge of the whole China-Burma theatre. I have been to the Stilwell museum. Because Stilwell favoured Mao’s army to Chiang Kai Shek’s forces, Stilwell is still venerated in China. I have a photo taken at the museum of myself with one of the few surviving Chinese Flying Tiger pilots, who flew cargo planes over the hump to Burma.
I have visited with the Kaifeng Jews (there are quite a few more than 5) a couple of times, and took part in a Shabbot service with them, and then sat down to a Shabbot vegetarian dinner. A thousand years ago the Jewish merchants came to Kaifeng, then China’s capital, and were wecomed by the Emperor. They thrived and multiplied for about 500 years but then it became important to adopt Confucianism in order to hold a good job, and there was much assimilation. There are still descendants whom I met, but they do look Chinese. Quite a few have made Aliyah to Israel.
@ Buzz of the Orient:
Yes of course, I believe that pork is the easiest raised and most popular meat in China.
I remember the Flying Tigers and I also recall seeing that their planes had rows of shark teeth in the front. Wasn’t Claire (?) Chennault running them too?.It’s all such a long time ago anfdthe time flies by so fast it’s hard to realise what one knows until it’s mentioned.
I used to read Ernest Bramah stories and I think that pork often came into the,the Chinese stories I mean. I have some of his books featuring Kai Lung. Another thing I haven’t thought of for over 50 years.
I recall about the Chinese Jews. I remember when they dredged up about 5 women who said they had Jewish Ancestry, and they were the only ones left in all China. I think it was in Kaifeng or some place that sounded like that. They looked absolutely Chinese.
@ Edgar G.:
Perhaps often, but not always. Certainly pork is the everyday meat here, although the Muslim restaurants won’t serve it, but usually use lamb instead. However, unless one lives in a city like Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong where there might be small Jewish communities with a Kosher butcher and an Orthodox Rabbi or two, it is impossible to keep Kosher in China unless one is a vegetarian. I live in Chongqing (during WW2 called Chunking) where the American Flying Tigers were based,
@ Sebastien Zorn:
My understanding of Chinese cooking is -as related to me by a Chinese restaurant owner- that in the kitchen they always use pork bones to give more taste to their stews and soups etc. I’ve read this also several times.
@ Sebastien Zorn:
I eat Chinese every day – I’ve been living in China for almost 12 years. Anti-Semitism is almost non-existent here, and in fact the Chinese people respect and admire Jews for their intelligence and money-making ability in business. They think of all of us as being Albert Einsteins.
Not just Israel, I always ask people visiting there to bring me back takeout.
@ Bear Klein:
I had no idea Lenovo was Chinese. And now, we see, PC dominating academic intellectual discourse.
Monty Python – international chinese communist conspiracy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGv2wqJJmbc
@ Bear Klein:
Thanks Bear. I wasn’t sure, now I am.
@ Buzz of the Orient:
Article about sale. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45273-2004Dec7.html
@ Bear Klein:
I don’t think Lenovo bought the whole of IMB’s PC business, did it? Perhaps only the rights to produce and sell using the name Lenovo name based on IBM patents.
One Chinese billionaire is not going to change China’s (oil-based) loyalty to Iran. The Kaifeng Jews will not be sufficient to change the situation.
@ Sebastien Zorn:
Lenovo bought the IBM PC business.
Lenovo is Chinese? Lenovo was IBM. And now China is investing in Israel. Look Ma, no Hans.