In Tunisia, Chinese investments are progressing slowly but surely. While FIPA-Tunisia identified, as of October 23, 2025, 22 Chinese companies established for more than 31 million dinars of FDI and 1,100 jobs, France remains the foreign partner by far the most anchored in the Tunisian economy. On a regional scale, however, comparison with Algeria reveals a striking contrast: the Chinese presence there reaches more than 1,300 companies and $4.5 billion in recent projects.
A still modest Chinese presence in Tunisia
During a meeting at IFAP headquarters on October 22 between Jalel Tebib, director general of the agency, and Li Shijie, senior official of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative ConferenceTunis reaffirmed its desire to “deepen” its economic cooperation with Beijing.
According to FIPA, Chinese companies are now interested in chemicals, automobiles, renewable energies and tourism.
But despite this dynamic, China remains a secondary player in the Tunisian FDI landscape: in 2023, the stock of Chinese FDI already amounted to 30.6 million TD, i.e. a limited increase of around 1 million TD in two years. Annual flows nevertheless jumped between 2022 and 2023 – from 0.24 to 2.2 million TD – a sign of a gradual return of confidence.
France remains the historic economic pillar
Faced with this gradual rise, France maintains an overwhelming lead.
It remains the leading foreign investor in Tunisia, with nearly 1,500 companies employing around 160,000 people, and 421 million dinars in FDI in the first half of 2025 alone, according to FIPA.
Present in industry, services, agri-food and telecoms, France still embodies a local economic relationship, shaped by decades of interdependence and intense commercial exchanges.
Algeria, showcase of Chinese strategy in the Maghreb
On the other side of the border, the equation changes scale.
Algeria has around 1,311 active Chinese companies, according to local authorities, and 42 projects approved since 2022 for $4.5 billion in cumulative investments.
Sino-Algerian partnerships affect structuring sectors: steel, infrastructure, automobiles, energy. Beijing is deploying a mass strategy there, supported by the “new silk road”, while in Tunisia, it still favors targeted and cautious establishments.
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Tunisia: Foreign investments jump 20.8% in the first half of 2025
