I think it’s a lot more than just opportunistic attack on a proxy. There are signs Israel has made a firm and definitive choice to side with America to secure the historical recognition from Trump on Jerusalem.
That was a deal signed with the blood of the former Chinese ambassador to Israel, and would have been seen as a rubicon moment by both Washington and Beijing, from which there was no easy way back for Israel. Which would have been the only promise concrete enough to permanently commit a country in the western political world, where governments can change overnight and ditch the sworn commitments of previous governments at will.
Of course the Israelis are too canny to leave any incriminating evidence, nor would it be in Chinese interests to publicly call this out even if there was evidence, as that would essentially be an act of war by Israel, and China would only look weak to not respond accordingly.
However, everyone knows what happened and what it means, which is why we have seen China make unprecedentedly forceful and tectonic moves in the ME since, which have the prospect to fundamentally alter the balance of power in the region against Israel, whereas previously, China has gone out of its way to make sure its moves in the region took Israeli concerns and interests into account.
