Xi holds talks with Tebboune, pledges to enhance bilateral relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 18, 2023 Photo:Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with visiting Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Beijing on Tuesday, and during their meeting held at the Great Hall of the People, Xi pledged that "China is willing to work with Algeria to carry forward the traditional friendship and push for greater development of China-Algeria comprehensive strategic partnership."

Chinese analysts hailed that this year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations, and at such a key juncture of bilateral ties, they have great expectations that Tebboune's visit will bring about constructive outcomes, deepen strategic cooperation between two sides in areas such as public health and expand scopes of cooperation in industrial sectors such as energy and digital economy.

Xi told Tebboune on Tuesday that China and Algeria are sincere friends and natural partners in pursuing common development and national rejuvenation, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Xi stressed that the two sides should support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests.

He thanked Algeria for its staunch support for China's just position on Taiwan question, Xinjiang-related affairs and human rights issue. China firmly supports Algeria in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, supports Algeria in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, and opposes external interference in its internal affairs, Xi said.

He called on the two sides to cooperate on the Belt and Road Initiative, deepen partnership in traditional areas such as infrastructure, petrochemicals, minerals and agriculture, expand cooperation in high-tech areas such as aerospace, nuclear energy, information and telecommunications, and renewable energy, and foster new growth points.

China will continue to provide assistance within its capacity to support Algeria's economic and social development, and will import more quality products from the country and encourage Chinese enterprises to do business there, Xi said.

For his part, Tebboune said that China is Algeria's most important friend and partner. He expressed gratitude to China for its long-term valuable support to Algeria and its firm support for China's position on core interests involving Taiwan and Xinjiang. Algeria supports China's Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, and is willing to actively participate in the construction of the BRI, deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between Algeria and China, and help Algeria achieve national economic and social development.

Algeria appreciates China's key role in promoting the construction of a more open and inclusive world and forming a more just and reasonable international order. Algeria commends China's constructive role in achieving a fair solution to regional hotspots such as Palestine and promoting regional and world peace and stability. Algeria is willing to closely cooperate with China in international and regional affairs, Tebboune said.

After the meeting, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of multiple bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of agriculture, transportation, science and technology, telecommunications, sustainable urban development, trade, aerospace, inspection and quarantine, energy, education and sports.

Liu Qinghai, head of the Center for African Economic Studies at the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University, highlighted the cooperation between two countries in the space domain, citing the launch of Alcomsat-1 for example. In 2017, China launched Algeria's first communication satellite, Alcomsat-1, into a preset orbit, the first cooperative project in aerospace industry between the two countries. Algeria's broadcast and television and other sectors have been improved after the successful launch of the satellite, Liu told the Global Times on Tuesday.

US media AP speculated that Tebboune is looking for concrete support for Algerian membership in BRICS, an economic bloc that includes both China and Russia as well as Brazil, India and South Africa, which is hosting a summit next month, as BRICS membership has become a diplomatic priority for Algeria with the upending of the global economy, notably due to Russia-Ukraine conflict. The report pointed out that Tebboune's China visit came shortly after his trip to Russia in June.

It would not be surprising for Algeria to seek to join BRICS, and the bloc would also need to expand its scale to better pursue the grouping's original aspiration to make the world political and economic order fairer, Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

After witnessing the US-led West moves to confiscate Russian individuals' legitimate assets and kick Russian banks out of world financial systems with sanctions, developing countries including Algeria and Global South economies have seen the evil intention of US hegemony and therefore have the urgent need for de-dollarization, Wang said, explaining why more countries are increasingly active in seeking BRICS membership.

However, Chinese analysts believe that Algerian membership in BRICS could just be one of the topics for discussion and exchanges, and more constructive outcomes could be expected during the five-day in-depth state visit that comes at a key juncture for China-Algeria bilateral ties.

This year also marks the 60th anniversary of China sending medical teams to Algeria. Over the past 60 years, China has sent 3,522 medical personnel to Algeria, treating more than 27 million patients and delivering more than 2.07 million newborns, which has established a monument of friendship between China and Algeria, Xi told the visiting Algerian leader on Tuesday.

Both sides may continue their close cooperation in the field of public health beyond vaccine cooperation, such as expanding personnel training, keeping up the good momentum picked up during the pandemic, He Wenping, director of the African Studies Section at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

They will also explore new areas of development, such as natural gas and photovoltaic energy. The importance of the digital economy is also recognized by both sides, He Wenping noted.