Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune arrived in Beijing on Monday for his five-day state visit to China. This visit marks President Tebboune’s first trip to China since assuming office in 2019. Chinese experts view the visit as a significant opportunity to elevate bilateral relations and anticipate that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will further benefit the North African region through extensive cooperation projects.
China and Algeria share a long-standing and profound friendship. China was the first non-Arab country to recognize Algeria’s interim government, and Algeria played a crucial role in restoring China’s lawful seat in the United Nations, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website.
Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, highlighted the visit’s importance, not only for China-Algeria relations but also for China’s broader engagement with the Arab world. He noted that while news about China-Arab countries often focuses on the Middle East, Tebboune’s visit demonstrates China’s balanced approach toward the entire Arab world, including North Africa.
Bilateral ties between China and Algeria have seen notable progress in recent years. “In 2014, Algeria and China established a comprehensive strategic partnership, making Algeria the first Arab state to forge such a partnership with China,” stated Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin during a press briefing on Thursday.
Wang emphasized the deepening political mutual trust between the two nations, resulting in fruitful practical cooperation within the BRI framework. China and Algeria have maintained close communication and coordination on international and regional issues, while upholding international equity, justice, and the common interests of developing countries.
Experts pointed out that Algeria, along with several African and Arab countries, continues to grapple with serious economic and security challenges stemming from the chaotic incidents following the “Arab Spring” instigated by the West in the early 2010s. Seeking solutions, these countries are turning to China to deepen, expand, and strengthen cooperation. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis has compounded these issues, making the need for collaboration more urgent.
Ma Xiaolin, dean of the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University, underscored Algeria’s status as a key partner for China in Africa’s Belt and Road construction. Ma anticipated that following the first China-Arab Summit in 2022, China will increase investment and input to enhance the high-quality development of the Belt and Road. Consequently, the prospects for China-Algeria relations are deemed bright and filled with potential.
Smail Debeche, president of the Algeria-China Friendship Association and professor of political sciences and international relations at the University of Algiers, highlighted the mutually beneficial outcomes of the BRI. Debeche emphasized that the initiative facilitates direct trade, aiming to establish win-win partnerships and foster infrastructure development, which enables participating countries to transition from import dependency to becoming producers in collaboration with Chinese companies. Notably, countries like Algeria have progressed from being mere importers of Chinese products to manufacturing these goods through cooperation with China.
During the visit, China and Algeria will deepen their cooperation on global governance. Liu Zhongmin remarked that Algeria has expressed a keen interest in joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS cooperation mechanism. Liu emphasized that Arab countries like Algeria will be key partners for China in promoting global governance and building a fairer and more reasonable world order.
Since 1963, China has sent 27 medical aid teams to Algeria, marking the earliest and largest deployment of China’s medical teams in Africa. This year commemorates the 60th anniversary of China’s medical aid teams’ first dispatch to Algeria, which has nurtured a strong friendship between the two governments and peoples, according to the Chinese Embassy in Algeria.
Wang Yiwei, an international relations professor at Renmin University of China, emphasized the significance of stable bilateral ties and people-to-people friendship to ensure the sustainability of cooperation projects under the BRI framework. Wang also noted that Algeria plays a pivotal role in the trilateral cooperation between China, France, and Algeria. As an important “third-party market,” Algeria’s mature industrial foundation, geographic proximity to France, and widespread use of the French language have prompted China to attach great importance to activating Algeria’s potential and fostering stable China-France-Algeria trilateral cooperation.