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Marrakech – The UN Security Council’s historic vote on Resolution 2797 amounts to a turning of the page in China’s stance on the Sahara question, aligning its actions more visibly with a negotiated political settlement.
According to Observatorio de la Política China, Beijing’s abstention in the October 31 vote signals a pragmatic shift toward accepting Morocco’s autonomy plan as the most viable solution to end the separatist claims.
The resolution, which passed with 11 votes in favor and three abstentions, designates Morocco’s 2007 autonomy proposal as “the basis” for negotiations to resolve the decades-long territorial dispute. China, along with Russia and Pakistan, abstained rather than vetoed the US-sponsored resolution, while Algeria refused to participate in the vote.
The Observatorio indicates China’s decision not to block the resolution represents a significant departure from its traditional rhetoric supporting Sahrawi separatist aspirations. “Although the principles of China have clearly pointed in favor of a solution through self-determination, in practice, over time, its actions have become more ambiguous and pragmatic,” says the report.
“China’s abstention reflects that it does not reject the initiative that favors the Moroccan autonomy proposal, giving it a green light although not supporting it enthusiastically or without reservations.”
The report highlights China’s evolving position, stressing how the so-called Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), a self-proclaimed entity with diminishing international recognition, has lost ground diplomatically.
“In recent years, many countries have ‘frozen’ or withdrawn their recognition,” the Observatorio points out, noting that “in Africa itself, only about a third of countries actively recognize the SADR.”
For China, Morocco is a strategic gateway south and north
According to the Observatorio, the relationship between Morocco and China has strengthened considerably, moving beyond mere diplomacy to become “strategic and operative.” In 2016, the two countries signed a “strategic partnership agreement,” and in 2025, they established a mechanism for strategic dialogue between their foreign ministries.
The report explains that China views Morocco as a key partner – “a gateway to Africa and Europe, an industrial/logistical hub, a reliable diplomatic ally” – and therefore attaches great importance to this relationship. Morocco’s strategic location makes it invaluable to Beijing’s global ambitions.
Trade between the two nations reached approximately $9.04 billion in 2024, solidifying China as Morocco’s primary Asian trade partner. Chinese investments in Morocco totaled over $56 million in 2022 across various sectors, including industry, transportation, energy, and mining.
The Observatorio analysis reveals multiple strategic motivations behind China’s strengthening ties with Morocco. Beijing values the kingdom’s position in northwest Africa, with access to both the Atlantic and Mediterranean, making it a crucial connection point between Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. China sees Morocco as an entry point to extend its investments and influence toward Africa and Europe.
The report also points out that Morocco offers a valuable industrial platform for investment. With developed industrial zones, incentives for foreign investment, good logistical connections, and an open policy for foreign companies, Morocco provides an attractive environment for Chinese businesses to establish operations and export to Europe or Africa.
Abstention amounts to subtle endorsement
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Morocco, Syed Adil Gilani, clarified his country’s abstention in an interview with Morocco World News. “Pakistan’s viewpoint has always been positive, never negative,” Gilani stated. “We’ve always maintained that the Sahara belongs to Morocco. That is our principled position.”
Gilani suggested that abstaining countries were effectively supporting Morocco’s position, stating: “By not voting against it, they are actually supporting this plan.” After the resolution passed, he added, “it became the law to be obeyed by all countries of the world.”
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita revealed that King Mohammed VI personally conducted several direct communications “five or six days” before the vote. These royal interventions were crucial in securing the decision in favor of Morocco’s position, “within the most complex composition of the UN Council,” according to Bourita.
The top Moroccan diplomat also noted that Russia’s abstention came as a crowning achievement for “Morocco under the King” and reflected appreciation for the kingdom’s neutral stance in the Ukraine war. “At first, we were at six votes, and then King Mohammed VI intervened, spoke, and acted to reach the required nine votes without a veto,” Bourita explained.
He also disclosed that before the vote, attempts were made to secure support from “a permanent member” of the Security Council. “This permanent member had requests not related to Morocco, but to the penholder,” Bourita said, referring to the United States, which drafted the resolution.
The Observatorio concludes that China, despite its long-claimed stance against colonialism, has pragmatically shifted toward supporting Morocco’s territorial integrity. “China, with a long and claimed trajectory of fighting against colonialism, continues to maintain the discourse that peoples have the right to self-determination.”
“Regarding Western Sahara, it formally supports the UN principles of self-determination and negotiated settlement, but in practice it leans toward a solution favorable to Morocco,” the assessment suggests.
The resolution’s adoption without a single vote against it is widely regarded not only as a diplomatic triumph for Morocco’s territorial integrity but also as dismantling, brick by brick, the ideological scaffolding that Iran and Algiers have spent decades constructing around the militia.
Most analysts have characterized the moment as the international community finally formalizing what history has long recorded – effectively issuing Rabat a title deed to a territory that has belonged to the Moroccan state since the Almoravid era in the 11th century.
The prevailing consensus among both seasoned diplomats and observers is that this latest UN resolution has effectively established Morocco’s autonomy plan as the exclusive basis for negotiations, potentially paving the way for a definitive resolution to what the report calls “one of Africa’s longest-running territorial disputes.”
