President Biden's top candidate for ambassador to Israel hosted Chinese Communist Party officials as chairman of a think tank described as "Consistently soft on China." That could be cause for concern as the United States seeks Israel's help in combating Beijing's growing influence in the Middle East-and to weaken the growing ties between Israel and China.
Jack Lew, the leading contender for the post, serves as chairman of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, an advisory group that supports closer business and diplomatic ties between the United States and China.
Lew, who took the helm of the National Committee in January 2021, has hosted top CCP officials and met in Beijing with China's foreign minister, who during their meeting blamed the United States for creating the "Root causes" of tension in the United States-China relationship.
Lew, who served as Treasury secretary under President Barack Obama, also took part in a commemorative event organized by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, which conducts foreign influence operations for the CCP. While China may not be at the top of Lew's portfolio as ambassador to Israel, his views on United States-China relations would loom large in his dealings with Jerusalem.
The Biden administration has also pushed for a pact between Israel and Saudi Arabia in order to curb China's growing influence in the Middle East.
During a meeting on June 26 with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, Lew stated that the United States and China are interdependent and that the economic "Decoupling" of the two countries would fail.
Mark Brzezinski, the ambassador to Poland, was paid in 2019 to speak at an event for a Chinese Communist Party advisory panel, where the diplomat complained that elements within the United States were "Demonizing" China.
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