Users of Chinese electronic maps were surprised that the name Israel no longer appeared on major Chinese websites such as Baidu and Alibaba, amid anticipation of Tel Aviv's reaction to this.
This omission has now become a popular topic of discussion in China, with questions whether this is a position on the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
An expert on Chinese affairs explains to Sky News Arabia why Israel cannot file an official protest against this matter.
According to a report issued by the American Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, major Chinese companies such as Baidu and Alibaba no longer refer to Israel by name on the digital maps they publish on the Internet.
Digital maps on Baidu show the demarcation of the border between Palestine and Israel, but do not identify the country by name, and the same is seen on the Alibaba map, although even small countries such as Luxembourg are clearly identified.
The two companies have not yet provided an official explanation for this matter.
China's position on the conflict
Since the beginning of the battles between Israel and the Palestinian factions 3 weeks ago, China has supported the ceasefire to avoid “further escalation” and human suffering, and with its Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, affirming the right of any country to defend itself, he considered the current Israeli escalation to have gone beyond the scope of defense. About the self.
Chinese President Xi Jinping offered to coordinate with Egypt and Arab countries to push for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue as soon as possible.
The difficulty of Israeli protest
Chinese affairs expert, Mazen Hassan, points out that the maps on which the name Israel has been deleted are unofficial maps, and are not fully controlled by the government. They belong to companies owned by businessmen; Therefore, Israel will not be able to protest what happened.
Hassan expects that this measure “was an agreement between a group of companies, because it came simultaneously, and the government may be aware of this step, but it remains that no one can blame it for this measure.”
Regarding China’s position on the ongoing conflict, the political researcher says that Beijing, since the first day of the war, “has a clear position, which is that the Palestinians have the right to establish their state, and that the violence came as a result of Israeli practices towards Palestine, and together with Moscow saved the Hamas movement from condemnation in the UN Security Council by using... The right of veto.
In Hassan's words, "China has a diplomatic position that is somewhat in favor of the Palestinian side, but there are political circles within it that are doubly in favor of the Palestinians."