Morocco and China have called for the consolidation of bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector by promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Ibn Zohr University organized on Monday a meeting on Morocco-China relations in partnership with the Chinese Embassy in Morocco and the Confucius Institute.
The participants stressed the need to maintain cultural and human ties between the two countries to enrich economic relations, particularly in the tourism sector.
Abdelaziz Bendou, President of Ibn Zohr University, stated that several Moroccan and Chinese actors and academics participated in the meeting with the objective of strengthening the partnership between Rabat and Beijing in the culture and tourism sectors.
Bendou also recalled the 2016 Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership that laid the ground for the deepening of diplomatic, economic, and cultural relations between Morocco and China.
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For his part, Li Changlin, Chinese Ambassador to Morocco, said that the meeting underpinned the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector, adding that the Confucius Institute has provided courses in Chinese language and culture for Moroccan students to promote such exchanges.
The event attracted the participation of Moroccan and Chinese officials such as the Cultural Counselor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Morocco, the Secretary-General of the Chinese Embassy, and the President of the Regional Council of Tourism for Agadir-Souss-Massa.
Vice presidents and heads of university institutions affiliated with Ibn Zohr University also attended the meeting along with a group of professors and students.
In late March, the Chinese special envoy for the Middle East, Zhau Jun, called for “maintaining permanent contact with Morocco and coordinating positions regarding all developments at the international level.”
Chinese direct investment in Morocco reached $380 million in January 2022 extending from the automotive to renewable energy sectors.
