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Rabat – Moroccan ambassador to China Abdelkader El Ansari has acknowledged Morocco’s assets and potential that enable the country to become a main pillar in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative in the region.
The initiative is China’s massive infrastructure strategy that the country aims to stretch across the whole world. The strategy connects Asia with Africa and Europe via land and maritime networks.
In a recent interview with China Daily, El Ansari said both Morocco and China share good bilateral ties, noting that Rabat has emerged as a key partner in the Belt and Road Initiative.
“Morocco will be a main pillar in implementing this initiative in our region,” he said, adding that he sees tremendous potential for more cooperation between the two countries.
Morocco is the first country in North Africa and one of the first African nations to adhere to the initiative.
The North African country signed the convention on the implementation plan to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative in January of 2022.
Morocco views this strategy as an opportunity to open up new avenues in terms of trade and investment.
The initiative aligns well with Morocco’s New Development Model, which aims to bring additional opportunities for growth.
Morocco-China bilateral trade reached $4.76 billion in 2020, representing an increase of 2% compared to a year earlier.
China launched the One Belt and One Road strategy in 2013 with the goal to invest in more than 150 countries and international organizations across all continents.
The Moroccan ambassador’s recent remarks come a few days after Chinese President Xi Jinping made a brief visit to Casablanca last week.
President Xi met with Morocco’s Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan. The meeting served as a platform to reiterate both countries’ determination to boost bilateral ties at all levels.
China’s ambassador to Morocco Li Changlin commented on the visit last week, stating that the president’s visit will bring “a new dynamic” to ties between the two countries.
