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Rabat – Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing on Wednesday, to discuss boosting the two nations’ ties.
This meeting is part of a positive bilateral momentum since the creation of the strategic partnership declaration, signed by King Mohammed VI and President Xi Jinping during the monarch’s royal visit to Beijing in May 2016.
During the meeting between the two ministers, both countries reaffirmed their mutual and reciprocal support on fundamental issues concerning their mutual interests.
They commended the depth of the friendship and cooperation between the two countries and welcomed initiatives to enhance political, economic, and cultural ties.
The ministers explored opportunities for economic and trade exchanges, particularly in Morocco’s booming industries.
The meeting comes at a time when Chinese companies are increasingly flocking to the North African country, attracted to its thriving industries within the energy and mobility sectors.
In recent years, Chinese investments in Morocco have taken an upward trajectory, notably in electric mobility, automotive, renewable energies, and infrastructure sectors. Morocco has emerged as an important African destination for Chinese investments over the next decade, as was revealed by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in its 2023 report.
In January 2024, Morocco welcomed investments exceeding $700 million from Chinese companies operating in manufacturing cathode for lithium-ion batteries for electric cars, according to Benchmark Minerals Intelligence marketing research firm.
The Mohammed VI Tanger Tech City, launched during the royal visit in 2016, is an ambitious industrial and smart city project that symbolizes the convergence of Moroccan-Chinese ties.
This project aims to become a major hub for advanced technologies and new-generation industrial projects, proving to be a joint technology innovation platform for collaboration between the two countries.
Morocco and China’s regional security efforts
The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss the resurgence of Chinese tourist flows to Morocco, facilitated by the Moroccan monarch’s farsighted decision to lift visa requirements for Chinese citizens since June 1, 2016.
The ministers also seized the opportunity to discuss mutual efforts to boost regional security. Bourita presented the recent initiatives announced by King Mohammed VI to promote stability, security, and economic prosperity.
Key to Morocco’s regional efforts are the strategic Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project and the Atlantic Initiative, which strive to streamline multidimensional African cooperation and promote the integration of value chains.
The Atlantic Initiative particularly focuses on African countries on the Atlantic coast and aims to facilitate Sahel states’ access to the Atlantic Ocean.
Wang Yi praised King Mohammed VI’s leadership in favor of Morocco’s stability in socioeconomic and social development. He also praised Morocco’s contribution to the promotion of regional and international peace and security.
The two ministers welcomed the progress made under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), following the signing of the 2017 memorandum of understanding and the implementation plan for the joint construction of the BRI in 2022.
Discussions between Bourita and Yi also touched on several other regional and international issues of common interest.
Morocco and China have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1958, with ties steadily evolving and expanding over the years.
China is Morocco’s third trade partner with a total trade volume of MAD 39.5 billion ($3.97 billion) in 2016. This represents an average yearly increase of 18.2% since 2001, according to data from the Moroccan Ministry of Industry and Trade.
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