| This dissertation is a case study of the impact of the Cold War on international relations based on an inquiry into the development of diplomatic relations between a Great Power and a small country. It answers how the Cold War had made it impossible for China and Israel to establish relations from the 1950s to the late 1970s, and how the changing international climate and Chinese politics finally brought an end to the hostility between them.; Research on bilateral Sino-Israeli relations has been carried out in their international context, such as Sino-American relations, the Third World diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the Middle East peace process. The methods included both plunging into historic documents and in-depth policy analysis.; The dissertation provides essential reading on the following issues: The reasons for the absence of relations between China and Israel throughout the initial years; the impact of the Palestinians and the domestic factors in increasing China's hostility towards Israel; the transformation of Chinese domestic and diplomatic policies since the late 1970s as the basis for China's changing attitude towards Israel; the role of military diplomacy in improving Sino-Israeli relations; a chronological account of the different stages of development towards full diplomatic relations; the relations between the Chinese Communist Party and the Israeli Community Party, as well as Mapam and the Labor Party; Relations between Israel and Taiwan, especially possible nuclear cooperation between them.; As the first diplomatic history of relations between China and Israel, this study offers a new perspective on the study of foreign policy-making processes in China and Israel, while providing a new dimension to the vast literature of international relations during the Cold War, as these two countries have been "an odd couple" in every sense. It also investigated grassroots relations between the two countries, underscoring the necessity of understanding between different cultures, traditions and peoples. |
