Talk of China in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) rarely focuses on the latter, but Beijing has made significant gains in its recent outreach to the Maghreb. This Chinese diplomatic mechanism pledged to increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest without making any formal commitments beyond that. Clearly, not all strategic partnerships are created equally, but conferring this status on Tunisia seems to indicate that Beijing wants a stronger diplomatic presence across North Africa. CITIC Dicastal has established an aluminum alloy wheel manufacturing plant, the largest Chinese investment in Morocco. On the sidelines, China announced it would inject $14 million into Egypt to invest in joint projects.

Source: The North Africa Journal October 15, 2024 19:29 UTC