Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he has been invited to China, in a fresh sign that Beijing is trying to increase its power in the Middle East.
Mr Netanyahu made the announcement while meeting members of the US House of Representatives, according to Israel's government press office.
No dates for the visit have been given.
The Prime Minister is yet to receive an official invitation to the US, despite it being almost half a year since he formed his government, which is considered the most right-wing in Israel's history.
The lack of an invitation is widely seen as a sign of Washington's displeasure at what it views as Mr Netanyahu's government's radical agenda, which includes rapidly expanding Israel's settlement programme in the occupied West Bank and plans for a deeply controversial legal reform, which opponents say threatens democracy in the country.
Mr Netanyahu stressed in the meeting that the US remains Israel's "most vital and irreplaceable ally," a sign that Israel's government is trying to placate American concerns over Beijing's growing footprint in the region.
Opposition politician and former senior Mossad official Ram Ben Barak said the visit would be a “strategic mistake of the first order”.
Earlier this month, China hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, during which both sides expanded plans to form a strategic partnership.
This included China putting Palestine forward for dialogue partner status at the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, a multilateral body that focuses mostly on regional security threats.
The trip will be Mr Netanyahu's fourth visit to China.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
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