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Death from Above: The Sino-Israeli Equation
posted Saturday, 4 March 2006
'Providing China with more effective ways to Kill US citizens', it sounds dramatic, but that was how Washington angrily described a 2005 drive, by member states France, Germany and Britain, to lift the EU arms embargo against China.
The issue made headlines around the world, and saw a significant transatlantic tension rise between American and its western allies. With the US, on one side; accusing the EU of following a course of action that would endanger American lives. The French, on the other side; accusing the Americans of maintaining an arms embargo for political reasons, and bloggers in the middle; questioning what Boeing might do to its republican campaign contributions if its European competitors were given access to a growing market that it was forbidden to enter.
Much to Washington's relief, not to mention the relief of any Americans who might find themselves in the firing line, this proposal was all but abandoned, by the EU when Beijing passed a controversial 'anti-succession law' which authorized the use of force should the disputed island of Chinese-Taiwan ever declare independence.
An event that scared the EU off of any controversial 'pro-China' activities for some time.
However, just as that particular problem dies down, a similar one looks set to rise up in its place, as another of America's waning list of allies looks set to resume its own program of arms exports to China.
Arming China
In an statements that is certain to cause concern in Washington, officials with the Israeli Defence Ministry have announced that Israel is to resume issuing export permits to companies wishing to sell high technology arms and munitions to China.
| "Procedures for granting export permits is open again" Official, Defense Ministry, Israel. |
The great Export Fiasco
Israeli arms exports to China were previously halted, under pressure from Washington, after it was revealed that Tel Aviv had sold China a number of Harpy 'hunter-killer' drones; Unmanned aerial vehicle designed to lock onto an enemies radar emissions, and to either fire on them using a conventional AA/AG missile, or launch a suicide attacked against them using an on board warhead.
The sale of the drones was made public only after a number of them were returned to Israel for 'upgrades'.
Flood gates?
According to Yaakov Torren, the Director of the Defense Department, the reopening of the Sino-Israeli arms market won't be a free for all. Instead export permits will be issued on a case by case basis. With each potential sale being individually judged according to internal criteria decided upon by the state, rather than by a set of distinct 'self regulatory' guidelines.
This approach differs substantively from countries like Japan, where companies must apply for technology export permits themselves, based on a series of open guidelines governing so-called 'sensitive technology'. A situation which has lead to a number of embarrassing oversights in recent years where companies have exported good without first applying for permits to do so because they were not specifically named as being restricted.
At present, it is not clear if Israel's criteria will be fully open, or if they contain undisclosed cut-off clauses.
In addition to these announcements, made this Thursday, it was also stated that Tel Aviv is to set up a special oversight department to monitor and control permit issuances.
Allied Upset
While the announcement, that Israel is to resume the issuing of military export to China, is certain to be of concern to the US, which has previously made numerous representations to Israel over the issue, the situation is likely to be exasperated by the fact that the Israeli Defense Ministry has openly stated that, although it will be working with Washington in some cases, it reserves the right to issues military export permits "with or without consultation with the United States".
| "[Israel and America] are two independent countries which respect their relative interests" Yaakov Toren, Director, Defense Ministry, Israel. |
At this juncture it remains unknown if "without Consulting" also means 'without informing'. A situation that could not only potentially lead to Washington being 'cut out of the loop' as far as Israeli arms sales were concerned, but could also means that one of America's closest allies could be secretly shipping sensitive military equipment to one of America's biggest strategic competitors.
The Empire Strikes Back
While the sale of arms to China has always been of concern to the US, because of its potential to shift the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region away from the US, the sale of Israeli made weapons is a particularly problematic issue for Washington.
Not only are Israeli weapons some of the most advanced in the world, but many of them are also based on 'cloned' technology: Technology that Israel acquired by reverse engineering American military hardware, sold to by previous US administrations under a US-Israeli 'special relationship', or which was obtained direct from American defense establishments through espionage.
As such, were China to arm itself with Israeli made defense technology, it could, ironically, kill US citizens with their own weapons.
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