Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is expected to make an official visit to China before the end of the year. Algerian Foreign Ministry’s Secretary General Amar Belani discussed the visit on Wednesday with Chinese Ambassador in Algiers Li Jian. Bilani and Jian stressed the need to prepare Tebboune’s “important visit”. The Ministry said the visit is “expected to achieve a “qualitative shift” in Algerian-Chinese relations. It added that the two officials stressed the need to accelerate the implementation of major structural projects, included in the 2nd Five-Year Plan of Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation (2022-2026), the Executive Plan for the joint implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Three-Year Plan (2022-2024) of cooperation in strategic areas. Projects include the establishment of the port of Cherchell Center, the development of the Gara Djebilet iron mine in Tindouf, the exploitation and processing of phosphate in Tebessa and Oued Kebrit in Soug Ahras, and the development of the zinc and lead mine in Bejaia. While meeting with Bilani, the Chinese ambassador welcomed the progress made by Algeria in improving the business climate and investment in the country. He expressed the major interest of Chinese economic operators in concluding partnerships with their Algerian counterparts, especially in view of the promising opportunities offered by the new law on investment that ensures legislative stability and a better vision for foreign investors. Tebboune will pay a state visit to Russia in May at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. He will discuss cooperation with Russia in the military field, despite pressures from US Congressmen on the Algerian government to force Algiers to abandon a large-value arms deal expected to be signed during the visit. Tebboune and Putin had held telephone talks in February to discuss “ways to boost bilateral partnership, including in the energy sector.” They also discussed the upcoming Algerian-Russian Joint Commission meeting that will be held later this year. Last year, reports said Tebboune was expected to visit Moscow in December to sign a strategic partnership agreement on economic and military affairs. The agreement called for buying Russian weapons worth millions of dollars. However, no official party had confirmed the reports and since the visit did not take place as scheduled, analysts said it was “canceled due to US pressure.”