Greece, Israel, and China’s “Belt and Road” Initiative
George N. Tzogopoulos
This paper assesses Chinese relations with Israel and Greece since the announcement of the “Belt and Road” initiative. China’s initiative signals the continuation and expansion of a pre-existing incremental policy that aims to strengthen its economic and geopolitical roles, though Beijing’s long-term approach remains unclear.
The Belt and Road initiative does not immediately bring Greece and Israel closer. But it gives the two countries an opportunity to discuss China’s new role in the Mediterranean and to maximize bilateral relationships with Beijing without challenging their pro-West orientation. This is slowly becoming a necessity because of China’s emerging strategy and growing interest in energy projects in Greece and the eastern Mediterranean.
Dr George N. Tzogopoulos, a journalist and media-politics expert, is the Founder of chinaandgreece.com and the author of the books US Foreign Policy in the European Media (IB TAURIS 2012) and The Greek Crisis in the Media (Ashgate 2013) . He is also a regular columnist in Global Times (China) and a commentator in various international media such as ARD, ZDF, Deutsche Welle, CCTV and Al Jazeera. Tzogopoulos co-operates with the European Council on Foreign Relations on the Scorecard project since 2010 and now prepares a new version of his second book to be published by Ashgate at the beginning of 2016.
