A few days ago, one of the switches on my stovetop broke. In my attempt to find a solution to the problem, I wound up searching the China-based online retail service AliExpress website. Within three minutes, I had found the switch. I spent another minute ordering, and that was it. The switch was on its way, and my stress levels were down.
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The Chinese are everywhere, not just in online retail. The modern Chinese Empire has grown and now invests billions of dollars in infrastructure across dozens of countries in such a way that will soon set about a new world order. In the Middle East, China is involved in massive smart city projects. God knows how much information is collected through these programs and what can be done with it. In Israel, too, there are various cities that have signed bilateral initiatives with China. Israeli credit companies purchase Chinese technologies, and that is just the beginning.
The Israeli public tends to constantly focus on the Iran nuclear talks in Vienna. One day, we hear Iran has rejected understandings, while the next week, there are US reports of progress in negotiations. Meanwhile, China, according to various forecasts, will overtake the US to become the world's largest economy in 2030.
You don't need to be a certified sinologist to understand that the balance of power is changing before our very eyes. We are witnessing processes the likes of which we are familiar with from the ancient world. An empire that dominated the world is slowly vacating its spot to another culture and a different political force. Yet the focus remains on Vienna.
Just three days ago, Arab media outlets reported Beijing and Tehran were deepening cooperations as part of a 25-year strategic agreement signed between the two countries last year. All this is happening as the two new besties face sanctions from Washington.
This strategic agreement is now being implemented. The significance of this is that China is more active than ever in our region and threatening the interests of our ally for years, Uncle Sam.
For us, though, it's business as usual as we talk about the nuclear deal and then talk about the nuclear deal some more. This is almost a case of collective cognitive bias and attention deficit disorder. The obsessive focus on US-Iran ties against the background of the nuclear deal is part of the problem. It would not be an exaggeration to say the Chinese approach to such sensitive information on Israeli civilian and technological infrastructure is a threat to national security. We should pay attention to this instead of digging in deep to something irrelevant. That train has already left the station.
So, yes, I purchased my stove top switch. Although I appear to have failed to notice that it is not particularly safe, if the product reviews are any indication. Perhaps I also suffer from attention deficit disorder. Fortunately, it won't take me to the edge of the abyss. The Iranian-Chinese abyss, however, is closer than ever.
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