Moroccan-Chinese Cooperation as a Model for Mutually Beneficial Chinese-Arab and Chinese-African Cooperation

The Kingdom of Morocco and the People’s Republic of China signed the “Joint Belt and Road Implementation Plan” on Wednesday, demonstrating the dynamism of Chinese-Moroccan relations, which have been set up as a model of mutually beneficial Chinese-Arab and Chinese-African collaboration.

The “Belt and Road” program, which was launched in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping under the moniker “One Belt, One Road,” aims to foster new chances for collaboration between China and the 140 nations that have joined it.

Morocco was the first country in the Maghreb and one of the first in Africa to join this project, signing a Memorandum of Understanding in 2017 that allowed the Kingdom to form partnerships in potential sectors including infrastructure, advanced industries, and technology.

The “Belt and Road” strategy, which is based on discussion, partnership, commercial, and human exchanges, has boosted infrastructure cooperation with China and made Morocco a popular destination for Chinese investment in Africa, with more than 80 large projects spread across the country.

This includes the Mohamed VI Tangier Tech City project, for which the Société d’Aménagement Tanger Tech (SATT), the China Communications Construction Company Limited International (CCCC), and the China Road and Bridge Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Beijing in April 2019 on the sidelines of the “Belt and Road” Forum (CRBC).

Morocco has been designated as a “pivotal country” by the Chinese authorities, who are aware of its geostrategic importance. This is part of the “Belt and Road” initiative, which includes both maritime and railway links between China and its member countries.

Following His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s visit to Beijing in May 2016, during which the two countries inked a strategic partnership agreement, a new dynamic has been introduced into Chinese-Moroccan relations.

The signing of a joint statement on strategic partnership, as well as 32 agreements and a Memorandum of Understanding, characterized this Royal Visit.

Moreover, during the coronavirus pandemic, this strong and multifaceted partnership was demonstrated through outstanding cooperation in the fields of health and vaccination, leading to the signing, in July 2021, of a Memorandum of Cooperation for the anti-Covid-19 vaccine between Morocco and the National Pharmaceutical Group of China (SINOPHARM), a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the establishment of vaccine manufacturing capacities in Morocco with the company, and a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the establishment of vaccine manufacturing capacities.