CHINA-ALGERIA COOPERATION

New year, new investments and cooperations for China. Being one of the world’s strongest country, China has been ‘down to earth’ to share its capital and help other countries to improve their infrastructure. Currently, Algeria made a deal with China to build a mega sea port. It’s not only big, but MEGA!

3.3 billion USD is the amount of China-Algeria deal to build and exploit the new center transshipment port of Cherchell.

Port Cherchell

The agreement was signed between Algeria’s Transport Ministry, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) in Algeria. Together with the deal, China and Algeria will create a consortium company to build the port that will be located around 60 km west of the capital Algiers.

The port will have 23 docks capable of processing 6.5 million 20-foot containers and 26 million tons of goods per year.

According to forecasts by Algeria’s Transport Ministry, port traffic in the country’s central region is expected to hit 35 million tons or two million 20-foot containers per year by 2050. The project is planned to complete within seven years, and gradually put into service within four years with China’s Shanghai Ports Group ensuring its management.

This plan will help to drive the international shipment traffic that comes from Southeast Asia and other continents to pass from this Center Port, under transshipment process to continue sea transport to elsewhere, or use the Algerian highway and railway networks to carry shipments to Africa. This project is important not only for Algeria but for the whole Mediterranean region and Africa.

Algerian government has wanted to build this mega Central Harbor for many years, and it has positioned it as a transit port at the Mediterranean area that will provide service to North Africa and Europe. Algeria’s landlocked neighbors such as Mali also need a port like this.

Algeria

The reasons why China was chosen by Algeria are because the traditional friendship between the two nations and strong bilateral relationship in political, economic and cultural fields.