China has repeatedly called for peace talks to resolve the Gaza war, sparked by an unprecedented Hamas attack in October 2023 to which Israel retaliated with a blistering attack on the Palestinian territory. But a video purportedly showing China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi waiting for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to initiate a handshake has been edited — the original footage from their meeting in December 2013 shows Wang was listening to a translator. There is no official record of the officials meeting 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 nod at each other multiple times. The clip ends with the Israeli leader eventually reaching out to shake Wang’s hand.
“Authority from a superpower country, I won’t stretch out my hand if you don’t stretch yours first,” read the simplified Chinese text overlaid on the video.
“Wang Yi’s handshake with Netanyahu is too funny,” read the simplified Chinese caption.
Screenshot of the false Weibo post, captured on December 11, 2024
The same video was also shared with a similar claim elsewhere on social media, including X and TikTok.
Wang is among prominent Chinese diplomats who engage in “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy, taking a more confrontational stance against other Western countries — an approach encouraged by Chinese President Xi Jinping (archived link).
China has been traditionally sympathetic of the Palestinian cause and Beijing has repeatedly called for peace talks to resolve the crisis in Gaza (archived link).
In an October 14 phone call, Wang told his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz that “humanitarian disasters” in Gaza should end and called for an “immediate, complete and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages”, state media reported (archived link).
Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. That count includes hostages who died or were killed while being held in Gaza (archived link).
Militants abducted 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 44,805 people, a majority of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry that is considered reliable by the United Nations.
However, according to a log of Wang’s activities posted to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s official website, the minister has not met with Netanyahu since October 2023 (archived link).
Misleadingly edited clip
A reverse image search and subsequent keyword search found the clip corresponds to footage of Wang and Netanyahu’s statements ahead of their meeting, uploaded by the Israeli Prime Minister’s official YouTube channel on December 19, 2013 (archived link).
The longer video opens with the two men shaking hands warmly, before moving to stand behind separate podiums. Netanyahu then welcomes Wang to Jerusalem, after which he asks if a translation was needed.
The edited footage has removed the audio of Netanyahu speaking and spliced together clips of Wang listening to the translation to make it appear as if the two men were in a standoff.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the falsely 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 at the 6:29 mark of the YouTube video.
Wang then said he was very happy to be visiting Israel for the first time as foreign minister.
“Many of my colleagues told me, that once they visited Israel, they would fall in love with this country. The point of my visit this time is to find that secret to that,” Wang continued.
He also highlighted the “profound 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 archives YouTube channel, which stated the meeting took place on December 18, 2013 (archived link).