China has repeatedly called for peace talks to resolve the war in Gaza, which was sparked by an unprecedented attack by Hamas in October 2023, after which Israel retaliated with a blistering assault on the Palestinian territory. But a video of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly waiting for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to initiate a handshake has been edited – the original footage of their December 2013 meeting shows Wang listening to a translator. There has been no official record of the meeting of officials since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
The 41-second clip of the two officials apparently in a standoff over who would initiate a handshake was shared on Weibo on October 26, 2024.
Wang appears to look away from Netanyahu after the two nodded at each other several times. The clip ends with the Israeli leader finally reaching out to shake Wang’s hand.
“Authority of a superpower country, I will not extend my hand if you do not extend yours first,” read the simplified Chinese text overlaid on the video.
“Wang Yi’s handshake with Netanyahu is too funny,” the simplified Chinese caption read.
Screenshot of the fake Weibo post captured on December 11, 2024
The same video was also shared elsewhere on social media with a similar claim, including X and TikTok.
Wang is one of several prominent Chinese diplomats engaging in “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy and taking a more confrontational stance toward other Western countries – an approach encouraged by Chinese President Xi Jinping (archived link).
China has traditionally been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and Beijing has repeatedly called for peace talks to resolve the Gaza crisis (archived link).
In a telephone conversation on October 14, Wang told his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz that the “humanitarian disasters” in Gaza must end and called for an “immediate, complete and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages,” state media reported (archived link ).
Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official figures. This count also includes hostages who died or were killed while held in Gaza (archived link).
Militants have kidnapped 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 44,805 people, the majority of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas-led Health Ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.
However, according to a log of Wang’s activities on the official website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the minister has not met Netanyahu since October 2023 (archived link).
Misleading edited fragment
A reverse image search and subsequent keyword search found that the clip matches footage of Wang and Netanyahu’s statements prior to their meeting, uploaded by the Israeli Prime Minister’s official YouTube channel on December 19, 2013 (archived link).
The longer video begins with the two men cordially shaking hands before standing behind separate podiums. Netanyahu then welcomes Wang to Jerusalem, after which he asks if a translation was needed.
The edited footage removed the audio of Netanyahu speaking and spliced together clips of Wang listening to the translation, making it appear as if the two men were at a standoff.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the wrongly shared clip (left) and the footage uploaded by the Israeli Prime Minister’s YouTube channel (right):
Wang and Netanyahu shake hands again at the end of the Israeli prime minister’s speech, which can be seen starting at the 6:29 mark of the YouTube video.
Wang then said he was very happy to visit Israel for the first time as foreign minister.
“Many of my colleagues told me that as soon as they visited Israel, they would fall in love with this country. The purpose of my visit this time is to find that secret of it,” Wang continued.
He also emphasized the “deep and traditional friendship” between the people of China and Israel.
Similar footage of the meeting between the two officials can also be seen on the Associated Press archive’s YouTube channel, which stated that the meeting took place on December 18, 2013 (archived link).
