9 billion Dollars In Exchanges Between Algeria And China In 6 Months

The Ambassador of China to Algeria, His Excellency Mr. Li Jian, stated a series of data related to the cooperation path between the two countries, especially in the economic field, in addition to announcing the imminent launch of a direct air route between Algiers and Shanghai.

The Ambassador said, in a speech during a reception ceremony on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, on Monday evening, at the Palace of Culture in the capital, that the volume of trade exchange between Algeria and China reached 9 billion dollars during the first half of 2024, recording an increase of 28% compared to the same period last year, while the value of Algerian exports to China reached 980 million dollars, an increase of 111%.

The Chinese diplomat linked this development to his country’s trade policy towards African countries, pointing to the application of full customs exemption for 33 countries, which allowed, according to him, more Algerian products to enter the Chinese market.

Regarding joint projects, the Ambassador pointed to the completion and opening of the railway line linked to the western mining project, and the entry of the Algerian National Center for Digital Services into service, along with the continuation of work on other projects, including the integrated phosphate project.

He also touched upon cooperation in the space field, citing the launch of the Algerian satellite “Alcomsat-1”, which was followed by an exchange of congratulatory telegrams between President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In an indicator of the growing movement between the two countries, the Ambassador reported that the number of Algerians heading to China during the past six months doubled compared to the same period of the previous year, coinciding with the high demand for Chinese language courses at the Confucius Institute.

In the most prominent announcements carried by the speech, the Ambassador revealed the imminent opening of a direct air route between Algiers and Shanghai, without specifying the date of its operation in his speech.

The anticipated route is expected to shorten the travel path between the two countries, especially for economic operators, students, and researchers, at a time when trade exchanges and the movement of people between Algeria and China are witnessing an increase, according to the figures provided by the Ambassador. Note that Air Algerie began operating flights to the capital Beijing, then to Guangzhou, while Shanghai will be the third destination.

Politically, the Chinese diplomat paused at the historical relations between the two countries, recalling Algeria’s position on UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 issued in 1971, regarding the restoration of the People’s Republic of China’s seat in the international organization.

He said that China “will not forget” that Algeria was one of the main countries that proposed the draft resolution, considering that this milestone represented, from his country’s point of view, a gain for developing countries and for justice and equity in the international system.

The Ambassador also addressed Beijing’s position on developments in the Middle East, calling for a ceasefire and preventing the outbreak of new wars, stressing China’s support for resolving the Palestinian issue through the political path, Palestinians ruling Palestine, and respecting humanitarian considerations and the principles of equity and justice.

This data comes at a time when the fields of Algerian-Chinese cooperation are expanding from trade and investment to mines, infrastructure, digitalization, space, and education, while trade figures and the volume of new projects remain the most prominent indicators for measuring the direction of these relations during the coming stage.