A senior Chinese diplomat has warned Israel not to let US pressure damage Tel Aviv-Beijing relations, according to the US website Axios citing Israeli foreign ministry officials.

The website states that the letter was sent by Liu Jianchao, head of the Foreign Relations Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, to Israel’s ambassador in Beijing, Irit Ben Aba, which is the “most clear” message that Israel is receiving information about their relationship from Beijing.

Liu stressed the importance of bilateral relations, especially cooperation in technology, Israeli officials said.

In the past, China has been at odds with Israel on the Palestinian issue in light of Beijing’s recognition of a Palestinian state and its continued support for the Palestinians at the United Nations.

The Chinese official stressed that “despite these differences, there is no conflict between China and Israel, but rather common interests in the long term,” adding that “the Chinese people understand the pain of the Jewish people because the Chinese have been oppressed by the West,” as he put it.

Liu touched on tensions in Sino-US relations, noting that Beijing “is aware of the special relationship between Israel and the United States, but nevertheless closely follows Israel’s policy towards China.”

He added, “This is an important testing moment for China-Israel relations,” noting that he “hopes Israel does not jeopardize the positive future of China-Israel relations by aligning itself with US policy toward Beijing.”

The Chinese diplomat urged Israel not to “catch up” with the position of the United States, accusing China of committing genocide in Xinjiang.

Last June, Israel signed a declaration at the UN Human Rights Council condemning China’s actions in the region.

Liu dismissed any Chinese allegations of human rights violations as simply “baseless” allegations, stressing that “China hasn’t fired a single bullet in 40 years while the US has unleashed wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

According to Axios, the Israeli ambassador told Chinese officials that Israel pursues an independent foreign policy, including towards China, but at the same time stressed that Beijing’s moves at the UN on the Palestinian issue “are not conducive to strengthening relations.”

The ambassador said Israel “also expects no third party to influence China’s policy toward Israel,” according to the US website.

It is unknown what sparked the unusually “strong” Chinese message, Israeli officials said, except perhaps for recent tensions between the United States and China over Taiwan.

The site pointed out that Israel had limited its relations with China following the departure of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power last year. Having worked for the past ten years to forge close relations with China and sought to attract Chinese investment, the new government has taken Americans’ concerns more seriously and started to look on China in terms of national security.

A senior Israeli official said China is sending similar messages to all Western countries, stressing that “relationships with China are good and stable, and the Chinese know that the US is our closest ally.”