Morocco and China seal ‘Belt and Road’ bilateral partnership agreement

The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita, and the Vice Chairman of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ning Jizhe, signed this Wednesday, January 5, the Convention on the Joint Implementation “Plan of the Belt and Road” between the Kingdom of Morocco and the People’s Republic of China (PCR).

First launched back in 2013 by President Xi Jinping under the name “One Belt, One Road,” the “Belt and Road” initiative is a set of maritime links and railways between China and adhering countries.

The initiative aims to promote new opportunities for cooperation between China and the 140 countries that have joined it. Based on the multilateral and bilateral dialogue, partnership, mutual learning, and inspiration rather than confrontation and alienation.

Morocco was the first African country to join the “Belt and Road” initiative back in 2017, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding which enabled the Kingdom to establish several partnerships with the PCR, in promising sectors such as infrastructure, advanced industries, and technology.

Aware of its geostrategic position, the Chinese diplomacy recognized Morocco as a “pivotal country,” within the framework of the joint implementation plan signed by both parties today, via video conference.

The newly granted preferential status will strengthen infrastructure cooperation with China, despite the North African country already being a preferred destination for Chinese investment on the continent, with over 80 major projects across the kingdom.

Chinese direct investments to Morocco amount to approximately $380 million, mainly allocated to infrastructure, communications, and fishing agreements.

In a speech delivered by Minister Bourita, the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1958 was invoked, until a great dynamism was known after King Mohammed VI’s visit to Beijing in May 2016, during which a strategic partnership agreement was signed between the two countries.

According to data presented by the minister during the convention event, trade between the two countries has increased by 50% in the past five years, going from $4 billion in 2016 to $6 billion in 2021.

The Minister stated that Morocco and China have maintained strong and multidimensional cooperation, which was most evident during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Morocco and China have recently sealed a distinguished partnership in the field of health and vaccination. This partnership culminated in the signing of a number of agreements in 2021, enabling Morocco to launch its own vaccine manufacturing project, in cooperation with the Chinese pharmaceutical giant, Sinopharm.