Israel to review CK Hutchison water plant bid after US ‘China influence’ warning
- Hong Kong-based company is in the running to build and operate a massive desalination plant near a military base
- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says ‘the Chinese Communist Party should not have access to Israeli infrastructure’
Israel will review a Hong Kong-based company’s involvement in a major infrastructure project after a warning from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about rising Chinese influence.
The facility will be able to produce 200 million cubic metres of water annually – a quarter of the water Israel uses each year, and the winning bidder will have the rights to run it for 25 years.
Citing three Israeli officials, the Financial Times reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would force extra checks on whether CK Hutchison would be allowed to bid for the plant, buckling to pressure from US officials.
Pompeo did not make public comment about the project while in Israel on Wednesday, but he openly expressed opposition to any Chinese involvement in Israel’s infrastructure projects.
“We don’t want the Chinese Communist Party to have access to Israeli infrastructure and to Israeli communication systems – all of the things that put Israeli citizens at risk, and in turn – put the capacity for America to work alongside Israel on important projects at risk as well,” he told Israel’s public broadcaster KAN.
CK Hutchison declined to comment.
