April/May 1992, Page 47

Defense and Intelligence

The Israel-China Rapprochement

By Jonathan Marshall

Recent exposés in the national media of unauthorized Israeli sales of secret U.S. military technology suggest that China's decision in January to recognize Israel, 44 years after the founding of the Jewish state, owed less to a common interest in peace than in weapons. What appeared at first to be a laudable diplomatic rapprochement could instead bode ill for U.S. attempts to limit the worldwide proliferation of missiles and other dangerous arms.

Israel and China are both among the world's leading arms vendors, one known for its battle-tested technology and the other for its low-cost production. Both are inclined for political and economic reasons to flout Washington's wishes when it comes to picking buyers, from North Korea and South Africa to Colombia's Medellin Cartel. In combination, Israel and China could become dangerous exporters of advanced technology shared with them by the United States to contain the Soviet Union.

Evidence of their military relationship was recently highlighted by reports in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Times and other media, based on secret U.S. government investigations, that Israel improperly sold China technology from the Patriot, Sidewinder, and TOW missiles, among other such deals in the Third World.

Although the Israeli government heatedly denied the reports, clues to the military relationship of Israel and China abound. The breakthrough diplomatic visit of Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy to Beijing in January was preceded by a secret mission to China's capital in early November by a more senior member of the Israeli government: Defense Minister Moshe Arens. A few weeks later, the chairman of the board of Israeli Military Industries, retired Gen. Dan Shomron, also visited China.

These contacts began in the late 1970s, after the deaths of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai. Despite China's fierce public criticism of Israel, they continued secretly as China sought to upgrade its antiquated, Soviet-supplied military technology.

In 1979, Ha'aretz reported on the secret visit of an Israeli delegation to China to initiate commercial ties. Among them were top officials from Israel's military industries.

Military relations between the two countries developed quickly. By 1984, Jane's Defense Weekly reported that Israel already had sold China more than $3 billion in arms, including electronic fire control systems, night-scopes and 105mm cannons for its tanks and communications systems.

The Sunday Times of London later revealed that Israel struck a secret deal with China in November 1987 to supply it with missile warheads, laser-guided armor-piercing devices, and advanced aircraft technology derived from the fighter plane development project funded by the United States.

As Israel grows even closer to Beijing, Washington has reason to fear that China will further frustrate U.S. efforts to limit arms proliferation. For example, The Washington Post reported in May 1988 that Israel improved the guidance systems of Chinese medium-range missiles sold on the world market, so they could carry chemicals or nuclear as well as conventional warheads.

Stepping Into the Breach

When the Bush administration suspended military agreements with China to protest the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Israel stepped into the breach. In the words of Morton Miller, author of a report for the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency on Israeli arms sales to China, "The Chinese probably see Israel as a back door to U.S. technology that the U.S. won't sell them."

For its efforts with China, Israel got much-needed cash and, eventually, diplomatic recognition. But these deals are now proving to be a bargain with the devil. China has reportedly sold nuclear technology to Algeria, Iran, Pakistan and Syria. It also has become a major supplier of arms to such militaristic countries as North Korea, Iraq and Iran, and has reportedly discussed with Syria the sale of $200 million worth of M-9 surface-to-surface missiles. Several years ago, it was China that supplied Saudi Arabia with Israeli-improved Silkworm missiles, which have sufficient range to reach Israel.

Ironically, some of Israel's staunchest supporters in Congress mobilized last year to threaten China's most-favored-nation trade status unless it stops selling arms to the Middle East. It might prove no less beneficial to world security to ask Israel to rethink the nature of its ongoing secret military relations with Beijing.

Jonathan Marshall is co-author of The Iran-Contra Connection: Secret Teams and Covert Operations in the Reagan Era.

 

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