The paper will analyze the evolution of China's political, economic, and military/security relations with the Greater Maghreb States (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and the conflict in Western Sahara), a major part of the Southern Mediterranean in which various foreign powers, namely, the United States, the European Union, Russia, Turkey, and China are vying for influence. The paper explains how relations with China, in particular, enable states in the Global South and in the Greater Maghreb to counterbalance the weight of other powers, even allies like the United States and/or their former colonial rulers, making the dependency theoretical approach relevant. The relationship with and expectations from China are essentially of an economic nature (building of their infrastructure, which is critical for the region’s development but also beneficial to Chinese firms dealing with overcapacity in important sectors). The paper discusses how China has gradually incorporated the Southern Mediterranean states into the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) through bilateral and multilateral relations, strategic partnerships, and the development of interconnectivity not only in the Southern Mediterranean but also onto the adjacent Sahel. Notwithstanding their dependence on Europe, the Maghreb countries’ economic relations with China have grown considerably. Due to shared historical legacy and overlapping roles, Algeria has the closest ties with China, which signed in 2014 a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Algeria, the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa. China strives for an environment in the region that is conducive to advancing its geo-economic and national security interests. It seeks to enact that objective through its self-attributed roles as South-South collaborator and developer. The multilateral forums it has instituted contribute to its external altercasting of ‘developmental values’, to cultivate trust, and engage in greater socialization with its partners. Through altercating, Beijing expects its partners to assimilate and support its policies and accept China's national role conceptions. The paper applies role theory, using the works of scholars such as Holsti, Walker, Mitzen, McCourt, Harnisch et al, Thies, and Breuning, as well as the works of Chinese scholars like YAN (Xuetong) . Additionally, the paper uses elements of International Political Economy to explain the Greater Maghreb States to turn to China. The paper also draws from innumerable interviews with Chinese scholars and officials in Beijing and Shanghai and with businesspeople and officials in the Greater Maghreb region.