The U.S. Is Worried About China’s Investments—This Time in Israel

Updated on July 12 at 2:38 p.m. ET

U.S. national-security officials have for years warned developing nations about the dangers of allowing Chinese investment in their countries. But now the Defense Department is worried about China’s investments in one of America’s closest allies, Israel. China’s ultimate aim, defense officials fear, is the same as the one it has pursued in Africa, East Asia, and elsewhere: to chip away at America’s influence.

For the U.S., a Chinese incursion in Israel, which cooperates with Washington on some of the most sensitive national-security issues—including Iran’s regional activities and the ongoing fight against the Islamic State—is especially concerning.

China’s economic campaign is under way as it builds up its military across the oil-transit choke points, through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. That base also happens to sit cheek by jowl with a U.S. base of about 4,000 people; it is a in the U.S. drone wars in Somalia and Yemen.