One of China's top diplomats warned Israel last week not to allow US pressure to damage its relations with Beijing, senior Israeli Foreign Ministry officials said.

The message from Liu Jianchao, who heads the Chinese Communist Party's international affairs department, to Israeli Ambassador to Beijing Irit Ben-Abba, was the most unequivocal and direct message Israel has received from Beijing about the US-Israel-China triangle, according to the report.

Israel and China have clashed in the past over the Palestinian issue, as China recognizes a Palestinian state and consistently backs the Palestinians at the UN.