1. Introduction
Over the past two decades, China has increased its presence in the Maghreb countries – Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia – in terms of trade, investment and economic cooperation. Although it does not have a specific regional policy, China has become active in these countries, focusing on bilateral relations while also working within two frameworks: the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the China–Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF), created in 2000 and 2004, respectively. Beijing’s political, diplomatic, economic and commercial relations in this region are strongest with Algeria,1 but ties with Morocco and Tunisia continue to grow steadily. China is multiplying cooperation initiatives and is positioning itself in these markets. Morocco and Tunisia are not critical to China’s interests, but both seek its investment for their development, in part to offset their dependence on Western powers. Morocco and Tunisia view China as a potential source of means to fix their infrastructure gaps, increase foreign investment, expand trade, and reduce poverty and other socio-economic challenges. This shared interest in developing relations with China coincides with Beijing’s own new approach towards the Arab world.
Since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, which most African countries have signed up to, China has reaffirmed its strategic interests in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). At the Ministerial Meeting of the CASCF in 2014, President Xi Jinping declared that ‘the establishment of the China–Arab States Cooperation Forum was a strategic step the two sides took for the long-term development of the China–Arab relations’.2 China’s 2016 Arab Policy Paper states that China will continue its traditional friendship with the Arab states and promote cooperation at all levels. The paper reiterated the strategic nature of those relations whose objective is to preserve peace and stability.3
China’s relations with Morocco and Tunisia cover multiple areas, mainly in the commercial realm. These ties have allowed China to increase its presence not only to implement the BRI, but also to achieve its wider geopolitical objectives. China’s relatively successful engagement in recent decades is due to its shift away from international relations with the developing world based on ideology (the approach it took in 1949–79) to those based primarily on commercial deals (since the economic reforms introduced under Deng Xiaoping), which has made it more attractive to Morocco and Tunisia. This paper looks at China’s policy within the broader context of its Africa and Middle East policies to better understand its approach to Morocco and Tunisia and their bilateral relations.
1 Zoubir, Y. H. (2019), ‘Les Relations de la Chine avec les pays du Maghreb: La place prépondérante de l’Algérie’ [China’s Relations with the Maghreb Countries: The Predominance of Algeria], Confluences Méditerranée, 109(2), pp. 91–103.
2 Xi, J. (2014), ‘Promoting the Silk Road Spirit and Deepening China-Arab Cooperation’, speech at the opening ceremony of the 6th Ministerial Meeting of the China–Arab States Cooperation Forum, http://www.china.org.cn/report/2014-07/14/content_32941818.htm (accessed 9 Dec. 2019).
3 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (2016), ‘China’s Arab Policy Paper’, https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662
805/t1331683.shtml (accessed 8 Nov. 2017).