Edited clip of Chinese foreign minister’s ‘handshake’ with Israeli PM goes viral

China has repeatedly called for peace talks to resolve the conflict in Gaza, which was triggered by an unprecedented attack by Hamas in October 2023 to which Israel retaliated with a deadly attack on the Palestinian territory. But a video purportedly showing Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi waiting for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to begin shaking hands has been edited — the first video of their meeting in December 2013 shows Wang listening to a translator. There is no official record of official meetings since the Gaza war broke out.

A 41-second clip of the two officials apparently arguing over who should initiate the handshake was shared on Weibo on October 26, 2024.

Wang looks away from Netanyahu after nodding his head several times. The clip ends with the Israeli leader finally reaching out to shake Wang’s hand.

“An authority from a super-powerful country, I won’t extend my hand if you don’t extend yours first,” reads the simple Chinese text on the video.

“Shaking hands with Wang Yi and Netanyahu is very funny,” read the caption in simplified Chinese.

The same video was shared with the same claim elsewhere on social media, including X and TikTok.

Wang is among the most prominent Chinese diplomats involved in the “Wolf Warrior” debate, which takes the form of confrontation with other Western countries — an approach encouraged by Chinese President Xi Jinping (link saved).

China tends to sympathize with Palestine and Beijing has also called for peace talks to resolve the conflict in Gaza (link saved).

In a call on October 14, Wang told his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz that the “humanitarian tragedies” in Gaza must end and called for an “immediate, complete and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages”, state media reported (link saved).

A Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel resulted in the death of 1,208 people, most of them civilians, according to AFP figures based on official figures. That figure includes hostages who died or were killed while in custody in Gaza (link saved).

The army captured 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 Israeli soldiers who are said to have died.

Israel’s crackdown on Gaza has killed at least 44,805 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, which is considered reliable by the United Nations.

However, according to a transcript of Wang’s activities posted on the official website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the minister has not met with Netanyahu since October 2023 (link saved).

A misleadingly edited clip

A reverse image search and subsequent keyword search found the clip accompanying a video of Wang and Netanyahu’s statements before their meeting, uploaded by the Israeli Prime Minister’s YouTube channel on December 19, 2013 (archived link).

The long video opens with two men shaking hands warmly, before moving to stand behind separate posts. Netanyahu then welcomed Wang to Jerusalem, after which he asked if a translation was necessary.

The edited video removed the audio of Netanyahu speaking and spliced ​​in clips of Wang listening to the translation to make it look like the two men were arguing.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the falsely shared clip (left) and a video uploaded by the Israeli Prime Minister’s YouTube channel (right):

Wang and Netanyahu also shook hands 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 that he was very happy to visit Israel for the first time as foreign minister.

“Many of my colleagues have told me that when they visit Israel, they will fall in love with this country. The point of my visit is to discover that secret,” continued Wang.

He also highlighted the “deep and traditional friendship” between the Chinese and Israeli people.

Similar footage of the meeting between the two officials can be seen on the Associated Press archive YouTube channel, which said the meeting took place on December 18, 2013 (archived link).