China and Algeria, longstanding trade partners, have elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, emphasizing enhanced collaboration in security, national defense, and other key areas. This move solidifies China's influence in the Mediterranean region, particularly with a significant nation on the African coast.

Following a meeting between Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, the two nations issued a joint statement affirming their commitment to supporting each other's core interests and safeguarding their respective sovereignty and territorial integrity. Algeria holds strategic importance for China due to its Mediterranean location. The relationship between the two countries dates back to the late 1950s during Algeria's struggle for independence from France.

This strengthened partnership builds upon the comprehensive strategic partnership established in 2014, making Algeria the first Arab nation to forge such a bond with China. Both nations underscored the importance of close political and security cooperation. They pledged to collaborate in combating extremist terrorist organizations within their own borders and to support other nations, including Somalia and Sudan, in their security endeavors.

Algeria, with its successful experience in counterterrorism, has expressed a strong interest in assisting its neighbors in combating terrorism, especially as France, a former colonial power, has reduced its regional counter-terrorism involvement. This new agreement formalizes and strengthens that commitment.

President Tebboune, on his first visit to China since assuming office in 2019, emphasized Algeria's willingness to deepen its partnership with China to bolster its economic development. This visit followed a state visit to Russia last month, where Tebboune sought Russian President Vladimir Putin's support for Algeria's membership in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). China has expressed its support for Algeria's BRICS aspirations.

Beyond security, the two nations have outlined plans for cooperation in various sectors, including aerospace, infrastructure development, nuclear energy, petrochemicals, and renewable energy. President Xi Jinping emphasized the enduring nature of their relationship, stating that the two countries "have helped each other through thick and thin."