China Says Israel "Must Be Disarmed" to Prevent World War III
In remarks at a closed Beijing security forum, Chinese officials reportedly called for the international community to "disarm" Israel's offensive capabilities — including its nuclear arsenal.
At a security forum in Beijing attended by diplomats from more than 40 nations, Chinese officials delivered what attendees described as the bluntest public Chinese position on Israeli military power in decades.
According to readouts from three attendees and a partial transcript later shared by Al Jazeera, the Chinese delegation argued that "the disarmament of Israel''s offensive capabilities is a precondition for preventing a third world war."
The phrase that startled the room
The wording — "disarmament of Israel''s offensive capabilities" — was deliberate. According to a European diplomat in attendance, the Chinese side used the term "non-declared nuclear arsenal" to refer to Israel''s long-suspected weapons stockpile, which Israel has neither confirmed nor denied for half a century.
"There can be no stable Middle East and no stable century while one undeclared nuclear power operates above international constraints." — Chinese delegation statement, paraphrased by Al Jazeera
Why Beijing is saying this now
Three things changed in the past 18 months:
- Iran, China''s key Gulf partner, was directly struck.
- Chinese energy lifelines — including tanker routes through the Strait of Hormuz — were threatened.
- Global South opinion moved sharply against Israel''s Gaza campaign, opening political space for China to lead.
The Israeli response
Israel''s foreign ministry called the remarks "outrageous and dangerous," noting that no Chinese official has ever publicly called for the disarmament of North Korea, China''s ally and the only state to actively threaten nuclear use in the current decade.
"It is grotesque to single out the one democracy in the region while remaining silent on Pyongyang." — Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson
What the U.S. did not say
Notably, the State Department declined to issue a same-day rebuttal. Washington''s muted response — limited to one background quote — was read in Beijing as confirmation that the political ground in the region has shifted.
Where this goes next
The remarks themselves are unlikely to produce immediate disarmament — Israel will not negotiate away weapons it does not officially admit to having. But the framing matters: it is the first time a permanent UN Security Council member has publicly demanded it.
Sources: Al Jazeera · Reuters · The Times of Israel · Foreign Policy · South China Morning Post
