This paper investigates the theoretical puzzle as of why a secondary state that is aligned with one great power tries to improve its relations with another great power.This paper will analyze the characteristics and the interests of the secondary state in the international system as well as its relations with the great powers.For the purpose of this study,the research focus is centered on the state of Israel,a secondary state that was established on 1948 in hostile surroundings due to its Arab neighboring countries that refused to recognize Israel as a legal Jewish country.Therefore,Israel has to rely on help from great powers in order to survive.Using the theoretical framework of secondary state’s foreign policy,this paper will analyze the behavior of Israel,which is regarded as a close ally of the United States.Although Israel’s relationship with the United States is critical to its core interests,the global rise of China in the past decade required Israel to adopt new policies of improving its foreign relations with China.The Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found China as a new potential partner to improve its bilateral relations with and established,for the first time in Israel’s history,an official foreign policy towards China which was focused on improving the economic ties with China with restrictions imposed by the United States on security ties.The indicators used in this paper showing the improvement in Israel’s foreign policy towards China include government decisions,frequency of official visits,volume of trade,and statements from Israeli leaders regarding China.The study argues that Israel has improved its relations with China in the economic and security fields but not on issues that would harm its relations with the United States.Thus,Israel has found a policy in which it can align with the United States and still improve its relations with China.This paper will follow the actions conducted by Israel in the economic and security fields regarding China during 2009 and 2017.This paper attempts to contribute to the understanding of Israel’s foreign policy and enlighten the main organs within the Israeli government which are responsible for the foreign policy towards China and thus provide another case study in the broader research area of secondary states’ foreign policy.I hereby declare that this thesis is entirely the result of my own work under the supervision of my advisor.This thesis contains no material previously published or written except for the contents that have been cited.Where other sources of information have been used,they have been acknowledged.I myself bear full legal responsibility of this claim.I fully understand Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s policy on preservation and use of thesis.The university is entitled to preserve the print and electronic versions of thesis,submit them to the relevant state departments,and provide access to them.The university is authorized to photocopy,microfilm or digitize,or adopt other reproduction methods to preserve thesis,upload entire or part of it to the database for readers to search online.