from ZAYD MARTINEZ in Algiers, Algeria
Algeria Bureau
ALGIERS, (CAJ News) – ALGERIA has intensified diplomatic outreach to China and Pakistan in a bid to counter growing regional and international isolation.
The North African nation announced a series of high-level consultations this week, signaling a strategic pivot toward Asia as relations with traditional partners in Europe and the Maghreb continue to fray.
According to the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf held separate calls with China’s Wang Yi and Pakistan’s Mohammad Ishaq Dar, discussing ways to expand cooperation in trade, technology, defence, and education.
The talks also touched on coordination at the UN Security Council, where Algeria currently serves as a non-permanent member.
During his exchange with Wang Yi, Attaf reaffirmed Algeria’s commitment to its comprehensive strategic partnership with China, rooted in post-independence solidarity and strengthened under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Both sides agreed to deepen economic collaboration, particularly in infrastructure and energy, areas where Chinese investment has been rising across North Africa.
The outreach underscores Algiers’ attempt to recalibrate its foreign policy amid mounting diplomatic isolation.
The government’s tense standoff with Morocco over Western Sahara, strained ties with France over migration and colonial-era disputes, and lukewarm relations with the EU over energy and human rights have narrowed Algeria’s diplomatic space. Meanwhile, its rigid non-aligned stance and reluctance to engage in regional integration have further sidelined it within the African Union and Arab League.
For China and Pakistan, Algeria offers strategic value: a major gas supplier to Europe, a Mediterranean gateway to the Sahel, and a potential hub for transcontinental trade.
As global power balances shift, Algeria’s eastward turn reflects both necessity and ambition—an effort to reassert relevance in a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape.
– CAJ News