ALGIERS, Algeria

Algeria said Tuesday it has signed a second 5-year strategic cooperation pact with China.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the plan aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation in different fields, including economy, industry, energy, space and culture.

The statement said the pact was signed by Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

It, however, did not provide details about the venue of signing the pact, but Algerian sources said that it was inked during the two ministers’ participation in the UN climate summit COP27 in Egypt’s seaside city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The first strategic cooperation pact between the two countries was signed in 2014.

In September 2018, Algeria and China signed a memorandum of understanding in Beijing for Algeria joining the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative -- a major Chinese plan that aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond.

China has remained Algeria's first trade partner since 2013, taking the place of France.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar