Tunisia has not benefited from China bailout loans

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Tunisia is not concerned by China's bailout credits, but between 2000 and 2012 it benefited from bilateral loans estimated at TND 215 million or $68 million, according to a recent report on "China's role as an investor and lender in the Arab region" published by the Arab Institute of Business Leaders (IACE).

These data show the predominant role of China in granting loans and in investments, knowing that Tunisia has received aid from Beijing estimated at 54 MD.

The report points out that bailout loans are one of the foundations of relations between China and Arab countries. China launched the bailout loans in 2008 to help debt-ridden countries as part of China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative.

Between 2008 and 2021, China has provided some 128 of these loans, which particularly target highly indebted countries.

These loans are seen as an alternative to traditional sources of financing, such as the World Bank and the IMF, which do not impose political or economic conditions.

They are of several types, including liquidity support, prepayment facilities for goods, fees from the People's Bank of China swap lines and deposit loans from the central bank.

These data come at a time when Chinese investments in Tunisia are limited compared to other countries, although it is the third largest supplier of consumer goods in 2021 with about 2.2 billion dollars, or about 6.7 billion dinars.

In 2020, China ranked 35th in the list of countries investing in Tunisia, with about $ 34 million, or approximately 103 million dinars, and Chinese investments in Tunisia are modest compared to France, which invested in Tunisia about $ 2.4 billion.