Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly planning to visit President Xi Jinping in China next month. The meeting will mark the first time these two leaders have met in six years. According to the Times of Israel, China and Israel have held discussions regarding the planned trip in recent days, citing sources from Israel who declined to be identified. The purpose of the visit is to send a message to Washington that Israel has other options for diplomatic relations besides the US.
The potential visit comes at a time when China has been expanding its influence in the Middle East, an area that has become less of a diplomatic priority for the US in recent years. During Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's visit to Beijing earlier this month, Xi Jinping proposed an international peace conference aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Chinese leader also expressed a willingness to take an active role in facilitating peace talks over the issue that has been stalled since 2014.
China's involvement in Middle East diplomacy has seen some success in recent months, most notably with a tentative detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia that the country helped broker in March. This marks a departure from Beijing's previous reluctance to become involved in foreign disputes. If the meeting between Netanyahu and Xi goes ahead, it could signal a significant shift in Middle Eastern and global diplomacy.