• Algeria’s Industry Minister voiced strong support for deeper China-Algeria economic cooperation at the Algeria-China Business Forum in Algiers.
• Over 1,300 Chinese companies operate in Algeria, with USD 12.5 billion trade and USD 4.5 billion investments approved since 2022.
• Eight cooperation agreements were signed at the forum, targeting key sectors like agriculture and automotive manufacturing to boost bilateral ties.

China and Algeria

What happened? Algerian Minister of Industry and Mines, Sifi Ghrieb, emphasized the government’s support for partnership between Chinese and Algerian investors to strengthen economic cooperation between the two nations.

 The minister made these statements during his opening address at the Algeria-China Business Forum on Investment held in Algiers. 

What are their current economic relations? According to the minister, 1,311 Chinese companies are operating across Algeria’s various economic sectors. The bilateral trade reached USD 12.5 billion in 2024.

The Director of the Algerian Agency for Investment Promotion (AAPI), Omar Rekkache, revealed that the agency approved 42 Chinese projects. These are worth USD 4.5 billion since its launch in 2022 and includes 22 direct investment and 20 joint ventures.

The Algeria-China Business Forum on Investment, organized by the AAPI, aims to attract Chinese investment and deepen bilateral economic ties. During the forum, eight cooperation agreements were signed between Algerian and Chinese companies in various sectors, including automotive manufacturing and agriculture.

Belt and Road Initiative

What is their cooperation under BRI? China and Algeria are set to strengthen cooperation under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In December 2022, both countries signed an executive plan for the joint implementation of BRI after the country joined the initiative in 2018.

Recently, China has been involved in many important projects in Algeria under the facilitation of the initiative. These include building railways, ports, mosques. Furthermore, Algeria has been one of the largest overseas project contracting markets for Chinese Companies. Meanwhile, China is now one of the largest builders of infrastructure in North African country.

For instance, State-owned Power Construction Corp of China (PowerChina) helped build a unit of a photovoltaic (PV) power station in the south of Algeria.