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Algeria often portrays itself as a close ally of both China and Russia. Yet its absence from China’s Victory Day parade in Beijing tells a different story, one of diplomatic marginalization and limited strategic relevance.
Algeria already made headlines when Russian president Putin ignored to invite Tebboune during the Victory Day parade in Moscow, signaling Algeria’s diplomatic demise among the BRICS group of rapidly growing economies.
The Chinese parade, held to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, was a grand display of China’s military might and geopolitical alliances. Twenty-six foreign leaders attended, many representing countries seeking alternatives to Western influence. Algeria was conspicuously absent.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s non-attendance speaks volumes. Despite his 2023 state visit to Beijing and Algeria’s bid to join the BRICS bloc, the country remains on the sidelines. While Egypt and Ethiopia were admitted into BRICS, Algeria was left out, largely due to its underdeveloped industrial base and an economy heavily reliant on hydrocarbons as well as its diplomatic inconsistencies.
Tebboune had promised a surge in Chinese investment, but little has materialized. Algeria’s trade balance remains heavily tilted in China’s favor, with minimal reciprocal investment. Algeria’s restrictive business climate and diplomatic ambiguity continue to deter deeper engagement.
In diplomacy, absence can be more telling than presence. Algeria’s exclusion from Beijing’s showcase event underscores its limited influence and the perception- among its supposed allies- that it is more a client than a partner.
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