Algerian President Tebboune arrives in Beijing for his 1st state visit to China

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Monday began his five-day state visit to China.

Tebboune is making his first trip to Beijing since taking office in Dec. 2019, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.

The Algerian president arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport early this morning, Chinese broadcaster CGTN reported.

His visit comes after Algeria and China signed another five-year strategic agreement until 2026 last November to strengthen communications and bilateral relations.

China and Algeria upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2014, becoming the first Arab country to do so, with an annual bilateral trade of around $7 billion.

“China looks forward to working with the Algerian side, taking this visit as an opportunity to deepen mutual trust, expand cooperation, enhance friendship, push for greater development of China-Algeria comprehensive strategic partnership, and make greater contributions to promoting security and stability in the Middle East and enhancing solidarity and cooperation among developing countries,” Wang Wenbin, spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said last week.