|
Back to
Opinions Page
Despite optimistic reports in the Israeli press about Tel Aviv's bid to
end a crisis with the US over arms exports in general and arms sales to
China in particular, Israel's "compliance" with Washington's demands is
not convincing.
Haaretz reported that even
Israel's
friends in the US Congress and the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee have criticised its management of the crisis and urged it to
avoid exacerbating the conflict.
Sources in
Washington
familiar with Israeli tactics of deception are sceptical of any new
memorandum of understanding that may be concluded to curtail Israeli
clandestine activities to sell advanced arms in violation of American
laws.
They
point to the Chinese-Israeli history of military cooperation as stark
evidence.
China projecting power
The
successful test of a Chinese submarine-launched ballistic missile a
couple of weeks ago has once again brought attention to the growing
strategic power projection of this Asian country.
The
new missile is capable of delivering a nuclear weapon up to 9000 km,
which allows its submarines to remain near the Chinese coast, under a
military umbrella, while engaging in potential military operations
anywhere in the world.
US
Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld noted that "China is improving its
ability to project power, and developing advanced systems of military
technology".
What
Rumsfeld didn't elaborate on was where China has acquired much of its
military technology from and how "America's strategic partner" had
violated several American laws on the export and third party transfer of
critical military technologies.
Although Russian technology plays a part in its programmes, much of
China's advanced technology has come from the Israelis, who have often
sold their own technology or American technology that was given to them.
An
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman put the 2004 trade volume with China
at $2.4 billion, saying this did not include defence deals. Defence
Ministry figures are not official, but
Israel's
Channel Two television said
Israel
sells China some $2.5 billion of satellite technology and arms per
annum.
As a
result, the US has recently embargoed new defence sales to Israel until
it satisfactorily settles the dispute over unauthorised sales of
technology to China. It has even threatened Israeli participation in the
new Joint Strike Fighter being built by Lockheed Martin.
Although the
US
has occasionally stopped Israeli sales to China, like the Phalcon
Airborne warning system, many sales have either been ignored or done
secretly.
In
many cases, like the sale of Patriot missile technology, the transfer
had to be kept secret because
Israel
knew that the US would veto the sale.
From the Israeli point of view, a partnership with China is ideal.
Israel has a small, advanced industrial base. Its technology rivals
anything out of Europe or the US. However, the inefficiencies of staying
on a wartime basis have made it small and inefficient.
China, on the other hand, has a large industrial base that is in need of
technology. And, China has the hard currency to pay for that technology.
Although the current disagreement is over Israel's upgrading of Chinese
drones that are capable of finding radar units, the pattern of Israeli
sales goes back much longer.
In
fact, they have specialised in selling China "multiplier" technology -
advances that multiply the effectiveness of an army, allowing it to
fight toe-to-toe with the most advanced armies in the world.
There is no better example of this type of sale than the transfer of
Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) technology that is seen in the upgrade
of the Chinese drone aircraft. ELINT gathering equipment is critical for
a modern army.
It
allows aircraft to detect the electronic emissions of enemy units,
categorise them as to their purpose, and help determine the level of
threat.
Israel,
which has an advanced electronics industry, has gladly offered the
Chinese the equipment that has been designed specifically for detecting
and countering systems used by many nations in the
Middle East.
A weapons system that is heavily reliant on electronic technology is the
Chinese anti-radiation missile (YJ-9) which is designed to home in on
radar units and destroy them.
This
is a high priority programme for the Chinese and much of its technology
came from the Israeli's Star Arms missile system.
It
had been designed to specifically home in on American electronic
emissions like the Awacs aircraft, the Patriot missile radar, and the
Aegis phased array radar on American warships.
High technology
The
ability to counter these American systems came from the Israelis, who
had access to the technologies of these systems. And, these technology
transfers were in direct contradiction of the Missile Technology Control
Regime.
The
Chinese YJ-9 is not the only missile to benefit from Israeli sales. The
Chinese HQ-9 Medium Range Surface to Air Missile also has technology
from the American Patriot Missile System.
The
technology came to the Chinese via the Israelis who received it
supposedly for development of their Arrow Anti-ballistic Missile.
It
not only makes Chinese SAMs more effective, but renders Chinese
ballistic missiles harder to intercept since they know the strengths and
weaknesses of a major anti-ballistic missile system.
Israeli missile technology sales are not limited to these. Tel Aviv has
purportedly licensed the production of its short range Python air-to-air
missile.
As a result of this help, China's missile industry is commonly known as,
"an island of excellence".
This
is a dramatic development considering that just 30 years ago China did
not have any indigenous missile technology base to speak of. Now they
are a major supplier of missiles around the world.
But, sales alone are not the only threat posed by China. The country is
rapidly gaining the ability to project power far beyond its borders and
much of that technology is coming from Israel.
One
aspect to power projection is the development of a "blue water"
navy. And Israel has done much to help
China
in that regard.
Within the last month, American intelligence published a report that
expressed surprise at several key military developments that would allow
Beijing to project its military power.
One
of those developments was the deployment of a new Chinese warship
equipped with a Chinese version of the American Aegis Battle Management
technology.
This
technology, again, came via Israeli sources, which also provided the
information that allows Chinese anti-radiation missiles to successfully
acquire and destroy the Aegis phased array radar.
Escaping punishment
Israel is not just satisfied with selling technology. It is transforming
the Chinese industrial base in order to make it more efficient.
Given the Chinese industrial base's limited technology, Israel has been
forced to send advisers and technicians to China's military factories to
help them overcome long standing weaknesses in design, engineering and
systems integration.
This
help will allow the Chinese to develop better indigenous weapons,
integrate foreign technology faster, and reverse engineer stolen weapons
systems successfully.
By
sending advisers and technicians to China to help upgrade its arms
factories,
Israel
is not only giving them the technology but the ability to better use it
and capitalise on it in the future.
Israel
has managed to escape any major punishment for its actions because of
its special relationship with the
US.
In a
recent highly classified report for the new Director of America's
National Intelligence, American analysts were accused of not recognising
the Chinese military technology threat.
Interestingly, the report faulted American intelligence for failing to
see technological developments in areas where Israel was actively
involved.
This
sort of blindness to espionage is not the norm for American
intelligence. When France was accused of industrial espionage a few
years ago, the US government made an international issue of it.
When European countries sold technology to Iraq, the US imposed
sanctions. But, for
Israel,
it has kept relatively quiet and the transfer of technology from America
to Israel continues despite the recent events.
* Mounzer Sleiman, PhD, is an independent
political-military analyst and expert in US national security affairs,
based in the Washington DC area. |
