APS : Wednesday, 27 July 2016
ALGIERS- Algeria and China are bound by “comprehensive strategic relations of a new type,” encompassing almost all cooperation areas,
said Wednesday in Algiers Minister of Maghreb Affairs, African Union and Arab League Abdelkader Messahel.
“This cooperation has reached an extremely important level. President of the Republic Abdelaziz Bouteflika paid several visits to China, during which strategic relations have been built,” Messahel told a press briefing on the outcomes of the 27th Arab Summit, held recently in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, and on the forthcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, to take place in Beijing on 28 and 30 July.
“We have managed, today, to build comprehensive strategic relations of a new type, covering almost all cooperation areas,” he added.
The minister underlined that China is present in Algeria in many projects.
“One of the major projects we seek to achieve with China is the central port of Hamdania (Cherchell, the province of Tipaza, 50-km west of Algiers). China would be certainly interested in this project, which would have a key role and a factor of connection between Europe, North Africa and Africa,” he explained.
As regards, the forthcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, Messahel said that it is a ministerial assessment meeting to take place few months after Africa-China Heads of State and Government Summit, which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
It will be mainly devoted to the assessment of the implementation of the recommendations, resolutions and programmes adopted at Johannesburg Summit, he added.
“The Summit has underlined 10 priorities, including Africa’s industrialization and the issue of funding (China has an investment programme of US$60 billion between 2016 and 2018 in Africa),” said Messahel.
“Africa desires to become industrialized and China wants to contribute to it,” he said, adding that Algeria will host the first African investment forum in December.
Messahel, who will lead the Algerian delegation to Beijing Forum, will hold discussions with Chinese top officials on the sidelines of the meeting.
They will discuss mainly regional and international issues of common interest, as well as the fight against terrorism.
