President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will make a state visit to China from Monday, July 17, the Presidency of the Republic announced on Wednesday evening. The head of state will go to Beijing at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, according to the same source.
“The visit comes within the framework of the consolidation of solid and rooted relations” and aims to “strengthen economic cooperation between the two friendly countries”, indicated the Presidency of the Republic. President Tebboune’s trip to China had been planned for several months.
Last January, President Tebboune himself announced that he would visit Russia and China, two important partners of Algeria. Last March, this visit was the subject of a meeting between the Chinese ambassador in Algiers and Amar Belani, secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
China, an important economic weight in Algeria
On June 13, President Tebboune paid a three-day state visit to Russia, a country with which Algeria maintains strategic relations, particularly in the military field. The Algerian army is essentially equipped with Russian weapons.
China is also a strategic partner for Algeria, particularly in the economic field. Chinese groups have won major construction contracts in Algeria since 2000. Groups from the Middle Kingdom have won most of the major construction contracts.
They built a good part of the east-west highway for ten billion dollars, built the Great Mosque of Algiers for more than 1.5 billion dollars, the International Conference Center (CIC) of Algiers for 500 million dollars, thousands of AADL housing units, football stadiums like that of Baraki (Algiers)…
While its market share in Algeria was insignificant in the early 2000s, China rapidly rose in the market to become Algeria’s supplier. In 2020, its market share was 17%, followed by France (10%) and Italy (7%).
China, whose model appeals to the President of the Council of the Nation (Senate) Salah Goudjil, is also a political partner of Algeria. In March 2021, its embassy in Algiers supported President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s “vision of a new Algeria”.
