Apparently they are still riding the wave of the Clinton administration. They need to stop selling high tech weapons systems just as much for their own security as for the US and its allies. The Reds will recycle this technology and supply it to Israel's enemies. Duh!
Shortsighted is being generous. Who does China sell weapons to? Let's see: Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan...............
At first, when the IAF was upgrading MiG21s and the IDF was upgrading T-72s it seemed like no big deal. But having the IDF as part of the JSF and ABL is going too far. We don't even allow Britain all of the access to the technology for the JSF - yet we share nuclear warheads and submarines. That speaks volumes.
Duh is right. Communist China has historically been one of Israel's greatest enemies back in the bad old days of Mao (they supported the PLO before the Russians did). All their propaganda outlets and ideological offspring all over the world bashed Israel and Zionism non-stop.
I don't know if Red China is still Maoist or has its fingers in Maoist groups in other countries. I do know that they continue to support anti-Israel regimes in the Middle East (just as the Russians do). Unfortunately, even the Right Wing in Israel sees the right to sell to whomever without American dictates as important and legitimate (they made the same defense about selling to Apartheid South Africa). It's amazing to me that anyone in Israel would advocate selling Israeli systems to a country so untrustworthy and which is 100% certain to turn around and sell it to their enemies. The whole thing is suicidal as well as dangerous to America.
However, it does bother me that our own government only seems concerned with Red China when Israel is involved. It was the US, not Israel, that got Taiwan booted out of the UN (which the ROC had helped found) and replaced with the PRC. And our own government certainly doesn't seem to be too concerned about the Beijing regime (and goodness knows the Bush's are notorious in their friendly relations with that government). However, the "Israel is selling to China" line continues to provide fodder to people who insist that Mao's real name was Maostein.
Another forgotten factor is that the Republic of China in Taiwan was itself vehemently anti-Israel for decades (being basically a Saudi colony when it came to Mideast policy, and seeing as how the "World Anti-Communist League" had a large Arab World contingent and was often viruently anti-Semitic) and one time even refused to allow an Israeli sports team to deplane there. The Israelis noted that this was surprising considering the similarity of situations of the two nations.
Nothing changes the fact that right is right and wrong is wrong. Taiwan was stupid to be anti-Israel and Israel is being stupid to sell to Communist China (as well as committing a chillul HaShem by doing so). But then, this is a government that wants the moslems to hold the Temple Mount in perpetuity and is planning to evict large segments of the Jewish population (which no other country today could get away with) while considering the "indigenous" Arabs to be sacrosanct.
Mashiach now!