China’s 70-year relationship with the Maghreb

China's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, maintained a 35-year-long tradition at the start of this year by visiting Namibia, the Republic of Congo, Chad and Nigeria. While it may not be directly the Maghreb, it is a potent reminder of China’s continued ability to advance Beijing's influence across the resource-rich continent as Europe, particularly France, reduces its presence and America continues its indifference.

China's engagement with Africa is all about consistency. While the Maghreb has not always been at the forefront of China’s geopolitical strategy, or even first on the list for China’s foreign minister’s annual visit, something is changing. 

The Maghreb represents a region of ancient ties and untapped potential in China's foreign policy; engagement with the Maghreb dates to the 1950s. The Bandung Conference in 1955 is viewed as a milestone in Sino- Maghreb relations, as it was attended by Zhou Enlai, the Chinese Premier at the time, as well as delegations from Algeria’s National Liberation Front (FLN), Tunisia’s Neo Destour party and Morocco’s Istiqlal party, among others. Zhou Enlai’s speech at Bandung promised that China would side with the “Third World” – now better known as the Global South- to fight “colonial domination and imperialism”. As the years went by it also became clear that the importance and structure of China's trade with the Maghreb countries would testify to China's shift from "revolutionary romanticism" to a market logic. 

Trade is at the heart of everything China does. So, if you look at the first two decades of this century: from 2000 to 2020 total trade between China and the five Maghreb countries grew from $742 million to hit around $19.1 billion. Products like electronics, cars and phones make up the bulk of Chinese exports to Maghreb countries, while oil, minerals and agricultural products dominate Maghreb exports to China. Energy resources attribute for most Chinese imports from Libya and Algeria, while minerals and agricultural goods are an important factor in Moroccan and Tunisian exports to China. In recent years, agricultural exports from North Africa have become more significant due to China’s growing demand for imported food. For example, Morocco has increased its orange exports to China, becoming on of its main suppliers of oranges. 

One thing that is no different from the rest of the continent: China’s ability to secure large turnkey contracts for infrastructural building. This has been powered by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which has long been a key foreign policy initiative in Beijing’s approach to Africa and now the Maghreb. In an increasingly unpredictable economic world, where the threat of tariffs looms large, the North African region is increasingly crucial for the BRI as it is part of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) and has FTAs with the EU and North American countries. Simply put it means companies based in these countries benefit from reduced tariffs and increased economic gains through access to the European and North Atlantic markets. Additionally, the Maghreb borders the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, which makes it a key point in the Maritime Silk Road too.

Here we are some 70 years on from the Bandung Conference and China is once again showing that it is always prepared to play the long game. 

*Kieran Baker is an Emmy award winning journalist who has started up various networks including Al Jazeera English, Bloomberg TV Africa and TRT World.