By Jonathan Adelman & Asaf Romirowsky, Forbes, May 14, 2013
When we think of Israel, we usually think of the Middle East (its neighborhood), North America (its close ally the United States) and Europe (the long history of Ashkenazi Jews). Rarely do we think about Israel and Asia, even less about Asia as Israel’s new frontier. We don’t think of Asia as playing any significant role in Israel’s evolution given the tiny Asian Jewish population, the lack of significant Jewish history in Asia, and minimal relations between Israel and most Asian countries for the first 40 years (1948-1988) of Israel’s existence. Yet, last year Israel called 2012 “the year of Asia in Israel.” The Israeli government sponsored an Asian Science Camp attracting over 220 Asian students to join nearly 40 Israeli students for a week long program of lectures by world class Israeli researchers
How did such a gathering ever happen? Many factors propelled Israel-Asian relations to the forefront. Historically, Asia largely lacks the anti-Semitism that was so prominent in Europe and also the Middle East. Geographically, Israel is in West Asia, only four hours by air from India and 11 hours by air from China. Historically, Israel, like most Asian states, is a new state born after World War II after a struggle with a Western colonial power, in this case Great Britain.
Economically, Israel’s rapid transition from Third World power to First World “start-up nation” echoes the great transformation underway in such Asian countries as India, China and the Four Tigers. Scientifically, Israel has emerged as a high-tech superpower (with Tel Aviv rated #2 in the world for its startup companies, thereby very attractive to Asian high tech [powers in Bangalore, Xinchu Park and Beijing Silicon Valleys]. Politically, the growing threat of Islamism in the regime draws many of these countries towards a country that is in the forefront of fighting this threat to governments around the world. And, militarily, the Israeli military, a world leader in anti-missile technology (Iron Dome), UAVs (which they sell even to the Russians) and 5 billion dollars of military exports, is attractive to Asian countries developing their own militaries as they rise economically. Finally, in intelligence matters, which are so critical to many developing countries, Mossad, with its strong human intelligence capabilities, is attractive for helping these countries overcome foreign threats to their rise to power.
Most of all, Israel has developed strong relations with the two Asian countries in the BRICs—China and India. Both of these countries, which had no diplomatic relations with Israel before 1992, now have major Israeli embassies in their capitals (Beijing and New Delhi) as well as consulates in their leading cities (Shanghai and Mumbai).
Militarily, Israel is the second biggest arms exporter to India today, and sold it the Phalcon AIWACS system for a billion dollars back in 2004. In turn India in 2004 launched a 300 kilogram Israeli satellite in orbit which dramatically increased Israeli intelligence gathering capabilities against the Iranian nuclear program with clear images in all kinds of weather. At one time in the ‘90s Israel was the second biggest arms exporter to China (4 billion dollars worth of exports). In turn Israeli intelligence works closely with Indian intelligence against radical Islamic threats and is on friendly terms with its Chinese counterparts.
Economically, Israel can claim $5 billion worth of trade with India and over $8 billion dollars with China. It hopes to boost trade with the world’s second largest economy by GDP to $10 billion in the coming years. Back to India, Israel is working with it on the framework for a Free Trade Zone that within five years could triple annual exchange between producers in each country to $15 billion. Politically, Israel supports India in its fight over Kashmir and against Pakistan, while China also battles Islamic fundamentalism in Xinjiang Province.
Outside the two BRIC members, Israel has developed diplomatic relations with a large range of Asian countries. It has extensive trade with a number of these nations—ranging from $2 billion with Japan and South Korea, to several hundred million dollars worth of trade with Vietnam. It also has growing economic and educational ties with Singapore. Israel has developed strong relations too with a series of newly independent states formerly part of the Soviet Union, including Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
Not all of these relations have been easy. Few Asian states face serious existential threats as Israel has and continues to face. And it can’t be forgotten that some of them are Muslim states (as Pakistan and Indonesia), plus very few have attained Israel’s strong First World economy ($33,000 GNP/person) status.
But it seems as China and India have risen economically, so has Israel’s global status. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s four day to visit to China this week highlights the importance of China to Israel. Excitingly for Israel, the importance is mutual. As Chinese Ambassador to Israel Gao Yanping stated ahead of the visit, “China views its relationship with Israel with tremendous importance.”Truly Asia is the new frontier for Israel in the 21st century.
Jonathan Adelman is a professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver and Asaf Romirowsky is the acting executive director for Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME).
I am curious as to why it is the chinese who appear to be buying up the worlds resources and forging ahead in every corner of the globe with what appears to be a very focused, planned and successful initiative. Being a planned economy, china appears to have forestalled its entry into massive consumerism in order to secure its future through the allocation of its present windfall profits into capital investments and projects for the future. I never hear of foreign global investments on the scale of the chinese from India. It appears that china may be far ahead in its global influence.
bernard ross Said:
India is 12-15% Muslim, which is less than Israel. Living in NJ, we have a large Hindu Indian community (5% of the state’s population), and due to their historical emnity with Muslims (read: Pakistan), they are strongly pro-Israel. This has not been reflected in the foreign policy of India due to the dominance of the left-wing Congress Party, which has historically toed the Soviet/Euro-leftist line on the MidEast (Gandhi was no fan of the Jews; a point our PC historians like to hide). Even with this, there is no doubt that relations with India have improved and will continue to improve; this will likely go even further if the Hindu-oriented BJP win the next election.
In fact, I would argue that while India and China are both important for Israel’s future, India is actually the more important of the two. It has a large English-speaking scientific elite, its emphasis on software and high-tech play to Israel’s economic strengths, and it has a fertility rate above replacement, while China’s decreasing fertility rate is going to cause social and economic problems for them in a way that Japan and South Korea are having problems now. And while China is thought of as the far more powerful of the two militarily, the gap in fact is not so wide as people think; India likely has the superior technology, while China has the numbers.
I agree with focusing on those asian countries without the anti semitic baggage of the christian muslim world. Indi may be a problem because of its massive muslim population and the need to appease them at Israels expense. Israel has relations with europe but the anti semitic christian baggage still carries over to europes jews and europes swindling of israel. I think China, though problematic now, has great potential. However, they are pragmatic and self-interested which means they have no bonds other than self-interest. this obtains now with the western and muslim world but those worlds are still at war with the jews. China appears to be the greatest beneficiary of an intelligent foreign policy. they are seeing the US embroiled beyond its means in meaningless wars which only enrich its non nationalistic class and impoverishes its citizens. the US spends to meddle in everyone’s business while the chinese do not. It is china which appears more and more attractive to most nations of the world today. china invests, builds, aids and seeks returns in its agreements but does not meddle and push everyone around that it aids. the US is still pretending to be the policeman of the world without the money to back it. Right now the US is the puppet of the GCC and energy interests; those who run america order their policies around getting rich in foreign investments which harm the US. the world is watching the US spend itself in foreign adventures into oblivion in the same way russia spent itself bankrupt in the military. None of these adventures benefited the US population. even Iraq’s oil went to foreign firms. China is smart enough to get returns on its investments and will be the likely world dominator this century. Israel must develop this relationship with the next superpower.
Israel must move more and more of her trade to Asia, because anti-Jewish boycotts of the state of Israel by the Euronazis of the EU are inevitable.
Israel can pre-empt this by basically refusing to do business with EU nations and taking the business elsewhere.
– Cancel the deal for jet trainers with Italy, and move the business to the Far East or the USA (even Obama is slightly preferable at this point).
– Forge ahead with the Ashdod-Eilat freight rail line to be built by the Chinese.
– Liquefy natural gas exports and send them to Asia (which I believe the Australian company Woodside wants to do with Leviathan anyway) and have future drilling and exploration contracts go to non-European states.
– Make European tourists sign statements prior to getting a visa to visit Israel that they agree that both Hezbollah and Hamas are terrorist organizations, and that shechitah should be legal in all nations. Those that refuse to sign do not get a visa (Israel would not want such left-wing trouble makers anyway.)
Israel IS an Asian country – and this is going to grow more significant as European Jews lose their elite status in Israeli society and the Mizrahim become part of the Israeli elite. Increasingly Islamic Europe has nothing to offer Israel and as relations between Israel and Europe grow chillier, relations between Israel and Asia are expected to warm up. Asia today for a variety of reasons, is indeed Israel’s new frontier.