BRUSSELS – China has maintained a low profile in the current war between Iran, the United States and Israel.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently used some of Beijing’s strongest language to date on the conflict, condemning what he called “warmongering by the US and Israel” after a May 6 meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

However, senior Chinese officials have studiously avoided being too critical of the US, fearing this could complicate next week’s scheduled summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On the other hand, China’s relations with Israel are nosediving. And in response, some Israeli politicians are already toying with the idea of uprating links with Taiwan as a lever against Beijing.

A delegation of Israeli lawmakers was received in Taipei by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on May 5, prompting an instant warning from the Chinese Embassy in Tel Aviv that Israeli politicians “should not underestimate the firm resolve of the Chinese government”.

A host of other developments guarantee that relations between China and the Jewish state are unlikely to improve soon.

Since 1992, when the two countries first established formal diplomatic relations, expectations have been high on both sides. With an economy far more diversified than that of its Arab neighbours, Israel saw China as a promising new market. And the Chinese were interested in access to Israel’s high-tech industry.

The emergence of China as a major manufacturer of weapons also added ...