Agreement to expand trade and cooperation in telecommunications,
agriculture and oil and gas development has been agreed by China
and Morocco and packages of accords signed.?
The agreement was reached following talks in Rabat between
visiting President Hu Jintao and Moroccan King Mohammed VI during
Hu's three-day state visit to the African nation.
The two leaders signed accords on economic, technical,
scientific, cultural and medical cooperation, the Moroccan
Communications Ministry said.
Morocco-China trade has grown rapidly reaching US$1.48 billion
in 2005, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry figures.
Hu arrived in Rabat on Monday local time to begin the third leg
of his five-nation tour, which has taken him to the United States
and Saudi Arabia and will see him travel on to Nigeria and
Kenya.
During talks on Monday with King Mohammed it was explained by Hu
that bilateral relations had progressed smoothly since the two
countries forged diplomatic ties 48 years ago.
"Measures should be taken to expand bilateral trade and
partnership in the fields of science and technology,
telecommunications, agriculture, oil and gas development, labor,
project engineering and human resources training and two-way
investment encouraged," Hu said.
Commodities China exports to Morocco include light industrial
products, textiles, green tea and mechanical and electronic
products. It imports phosphates, chemical fertilizer and cobalt
sand.
China has dispatched hundreds of medical workers to Morocco to
assist in the provision of services.
Responding to his Chinese guest, King Mohammed VI said his
country was ready to strengthen cooperation with China in such
fields as fishing, tourism, culture and infrastructure
construction.
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Both agreed to work together within the framework of the
China-Africa Cooperation Forum.
On Tuesday Hu met with Moroccan Prime Minister Driss Jetto in
Rabat.
Zhu Weilie, director of the Institute of Middle East Affairs at
the Shanghai International Studies University, describes Hu's visit
to Morocco as "a trip of to boost traditional friendship."
"China has been attaching importance to its relations with
African countries," Zhu said. "Hu's trip to Morocco, Nigeria and
Kenya this week takes place in the context of the 50th anniversary
of the diplomatic ties between China and African countries."
China unveiled a document on its policies on Africa in January
and highlighted its determination to strengthen ties with African
countries. Its investment in the country has been on the rise in
the past years particularly in project, energy development and
infrastructure construction.
According to the official statistics trade volume between China
and Africa increased from US$12 million in the 1950s to US$40
billion last year.
(China Daily April 26, 2006)