China, Algeria celebrate 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties

China and Algeria celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties on December 19, as the North African nation issued a new postal stamp to mark this event. Abdelkader Messahel, Algeria’s Foreign Minister, Li Lianhe, Chinese Ambassador to Algeria addressed at the ceremony organized by Algerian Foreign Ministry in the International Conferences Center in the capital city, Algiers.

“The unwavering support of China continued as it was the first country to recognize the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic a few weeks after its proclamation in Sept. 1958,” Abdelkader Messahel said. “The vital contribution that China has brought to the Algerian revolution (1954-1962) to help it regain its independence. A year after the independence of Algeria, China responded to the call of Algeria while rushing medical mission,” he added.

For his part, the Chinese ambassador, Li Lianhe said that he is proud to attend the ceremony after being appointed in his new post last week. “This ceremony celebrates the strong and deep relationship between our two countries, and I'm honoured to attend it, given that it is the first event for me here in Algeria since taking my duties as ambassador of China," Li Lianhe opined.

The Chinese diplomat further recalled the role played by Algeria to help China to retrieve its legitimate seat both at the UN General Assembly and the Security Council in 1971. According to him, the strong bilateral relations between two nations have been founded by the old generation, as they grew up to reach the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which is a great achievement in the process of fruitful progress of bilateral ties.

Finally, the ceremony concluded with revealing a postage stamp issued by Algerie Post to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties between Algiers and Beijing. The stamp was crafted by Algerian artist Al Mechta, which portrayed the massive contribution of Chinese workers in the development of Algeria.

In another occasion, China’s President Xi Jinping urged to improve the joint effort between the two countries to continue the traditional friendship and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation to benefit the two peoples. Xi Jinping made the comment on December 20 while exchanging written congratulations with Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on the 60the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between two nations, Ecns.cn noted.