Israel and China: More in common than meets the eye?

November 9, 2006 - 11:01 PM by

Via fiLi, a speech given by Jerusalem’s Dr. Gustavo Perednik at Nanjing University:

At first sight, it is difficult to imagine two nations more different to each other than China and Israel. China is four hundred times Israel’s size and two hundred times its population. One is the heart of Asia; the other a bridge between West and East. However, China and Israel have many characteristics in common. Here follow seven similarities.

The principal trait is their long history. Both nations span at least four millennia, being the nations on earth who claim such continuous national identity.

Secondly, these long national identities were recently redefined, almost simultaneously: modern Israel in 1948, modern China in 1949. In both countries national minorities constitute roughly 10% of the population.

Thirdly, their national religions (Confucianism and Judaism) are more based upon deed than dogma, much more evolved around behaviour than belief . . .

In the fourth place, in a world that favors Western languages, both China and Israel are proudly loyal to their respective ancient tongues and their unique alphabets. The renovation of biblical Hebrew in modern times has a parallel in China’s simplification of ancient Mandarin.

The fifth similarity: both Jews and Chinese have a long history of suffering and persecution. Their losses during the Second World War brought their tragedy to a nadir, and both the Holocaust and the Rape of Nanjing remain as a blemish in mankind’s consciousness. During the war, Liu Shih-Shun, a Chinese academician and Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated: “Like the Jews, the Chinese have a cultural heritage of thousands of years. Like the children of Israel, my countrymen are scattered over the four corners of earth. Like your people, my people know the meaning of hardship and, for this reason, they are able to carry on a prolonged war of resistance without the material things that are considered essential in other parts of the world.” It should be noted that China is frequently mentioned as the only country in the world where there was never any expression of Judeophobia, that was so characteristic of European history . . .

In the sixth place, they both had a major influence in human civilization, in its culture, literature, and sciences. World history is in-imaginable without either the Chinese or the Jews.

There is a further common trait that is more modern. Both China and Israel started a process of modernization of their economy. The models upon which Mao Zedong and Ben-Gurion conceived the economy was state-oriented, while the more recent leaders of both countries launched a campaign to open their economies to the free market. Having all these in mind, one can conclude that bridges between China and Israel are natural and desirable, and should be built for their mutual benefit. While they do not share a regional group, they belong to the tiny group of Ancient Civilizations recently revived, of hard-working creative peoples who have made major contributions to mankind. . . .

Tags: • Category: General, Israeliness, Travel 

Comments

3 Comments on Israel and China: More in common than meets the eye?

  1. David on Fri, Nov 10th 2006 1:01 AM

    2. What a load of rubbish. China is an oppressive regime where individual righst are non-existent, religious people are persecuted, occupation of a foreign sovereign nation [Tibet] exists, is an enemy of the United States [Israel's sole ally in the entire world] and would likely side against Israel.

    Being proud of links to the worlds largest tyrranical country is nothing to celebrate.

    Likening the suffering of the Jews to that of the Chinese is obnoxious, abhorrent and just plain ignorant.

    Tianammen Square was real!

    Dr. Perednik is an immoral arsehole.

  2. centrist on Fri, Nov 10th 2006 4:19 AM

    3. I don’t think he was comparing the Chinese government to the Jewish people, but rather the Chinese people to the Jewish people.

    And what is so obnoxious about mentioning the fact that both the Chinese and the Jews were victims of facism?

  3. David on Sat, Nov 11th 2006 4:20 AM

    4. The relations will be with the Chinese government. The Chinese people en masse supported the rise of Chaorman Mao.

    Would you also declare that the Germans were not to blame for Hitler? Or that the Palestinians are somehow “victims” of Hamas? No, on bth counts.

    A government does not rise in isolation. The ground is prepared by the people.

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