By Fan Chen

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Beijing has strongly condemned an Israeli lawmaker’s visit to Taiwan, calling the politician a troublemaker and accusing him of undermining bilateral relations.
In Taipei last Tuesday, Knesset member Boaz Toporovsky met Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te, who thanked the Israeli parliament for “staunchly backing Taiwan’s international participation”, according to Lai’s office.
In response, Beijing’s embassy in Tel Aviv said on Sunday that Toporovsky, from the liberal Zionist Yesh Atid party, had repeatedly and blatantly violated the one-China policy upheld by the Israeli government.
Toporovsky’s numerous erroneous remarks and actions were “severely undermining the political foundation of China-Israel relations. He has become a troublemaker for the sound development of bilateral ties”, the embassy said.
In the exchange with an unidentified reporter that was posted on the embassy’s website, an embassy spokesperson added that Toporovsky’s political credibility had been “completely eroded”, and that he was not eligible to represent others.
“We admonish [Toporovsky] not to delude himself that he can harm China’s core interests and the national sentiments of the Chinese people without paying a price. If he does not rein in at the brink of the precipice, he will be shattered.”
On Monday, the Chinese ambassador to Israel, Xiao Junzheng, posted the exchange on social media.

Toporovsky, who is chairman of the Israel-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group, was on his second trip to Taiwan this year. During a visit in April, he met Lai’s deputy, Hsiao Bi-khim.
Two months later in July, the Chinese embassy in Israel responded to the meeting, accusing the Israeli politician of “erroneous words and acts” regarding Taiwan and urging him to “make the right choice and avoid standing on the wrong side of history”.
Also in July, Beijing’s embassy lodged a protest with Tel Aviv after Toporovsky and several other Israeli parliamentary members signed a statement supporting Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization and other international organisations.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
In the joint communique establishing diplomatic relations between Beijing and Tel Aviv, Israel stated clearly that Taiwan was part of China.
Toporovsky’s visits to Taiwan have taken place against the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza conflict, which has claimed at least 64,000 civilian lives and caused one of the world’s worst man-made famines.
Beijing has taken a more critical stance towards Israel since the war – which started with a surprise attack by armed Hamas militants from Gaza on October 7, 2023 – and has repeatedly called for a two-state solution.
On Friday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed Beijing’s firm support for the Palestinian people’s “just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights” and called for a ceasefire and the adoption of the two-state solution.
Wang said that Israel’s insistence on taking over Gaza City, along with its air strikes on Hamas targets during peace talks and accelerated West Bank settlement plan were “grave violations of international law”.
“No country can build its own security on the insecurity of others,” Wang said during a meeting with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, in Beijing.