Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcoming ceremony for Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People prior to their talks in Beijing, capital of China, July 18, 2023. /Xinhua
Editor's note: Mohamed Oual, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a journalist and news presenter for Algerian Radio. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
Relations between Algeria and China are characterized by their historical depth and comprehensive strategic nature, and they will be further strengthened and rise to higher levels on the occasion of the state visit of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to the People's Republic of China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.
Since China was the first non-Arab country to recognize the Algerian interim government in 1958, their historical relations returned quickly after Algeria's independence.The two countries also aspire to elevate the comprehensive strategic partnership that has brought them together since 2014 to a higher level in order to serve the interests of the two countries and achieve their ambitions in light of the current international changes, based on their commitments to the principle of respect and mutual interests and the keenness of the leaders of the two countries to maintain continuous consultation and close cooperation.
In an effort to consolidate bilateral relations, the two countries signed last November the second five-year plan for strategic cooperation for the period 2022-2026, which aims to intensify communication and cooperation in all fields, including economy, energy, agriculture, science and technology, space, health, and cultural communication, in addition to strengthening the alignment between the development strategies of the two countries.
In order to enhance parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, in February 2022, the Parliamentary Group of Algeria-China Friendship was established with the aim of intensifying the exchange of high-level visits and enhancing consultation on international issues.
In the economic field, the pace of bilateral partnership is accelerating through the completion of several projects of strategic importance to the Algerian economy, such as the Port of El Hamdania, the exploitation of phosphate and iron, and the development of the railway network, which would increase Chinese investments in Algeria.
Outranking France as Algeria's most important trading partner in 2013, China has occupied the first place for the last decade, with a total investment at $23.85 billion in the North American country, especially their transport and real estate sectors.
An interior view of the China-built Sidi Aich Tunnel, part of the Bejaia Highway that starts from the Bejaia port and connects to the East-West Highway, in Sidi Aich, Algeria, July 11, 2023. /Xinhua
Work is currently underway to strengthen the Algerian-Chinese partnership in the fields of renewable energies, particularly solar photovoltaic energy, hydrogen, wind energy and geothermal energy, in addition to the field of manufacturing equipment and mineral resources used in energy industries.
Seeking to join the BRICS, Algeria submitted last year its official application to the bloc of emerging economies, which includes China, Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa. The Algerian president has also restated his country's intention to join the BRICS on many occasions, which has been welcomed by the member states.
Cooperation between Algeria and China have developed further within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched by China in 2013 and Algeria joined in 2018.This initiative is based on mutual benefit and constructive cooperation between nations and peoples in accordance with a purposeful and fair global system for the sake of international peace and security away from the domination of any single system.
In this context, last December, the two countries signed an executive plan for the joint development of the BRI in order to deepen cooperation.The two countries has also agreed the three-year cooperation plan in key fields 2022-2024, which is another practical mechanism to push forward cooperation.
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)