China, Morocco eye stronger partnership

RABAT, April 22 (Xinhua) -- China and Morocco agreed to boost their strategic partnership during the three-day visit by Chinese publicity chief Liu Qibao to Rabat.

Liu, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has been in the African country since April 20 with a Chinese delegation at the invitation of the Moroccan government. During the stay he met with Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani and the speaker of the House of Advisors Hakim Benchamach, among others.

The decision of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Moroccan King Mohammed VI to establish strategic partnership between the two countries last year has opened a new chapter in bilateral relations, he noted. A strategic partnership is a more elevated relationship between China and another country.

The CPC is ready to maintain friendly relations with Moroccan political parties and carry out discussions on national governance and party building, he said.

Liu also hoped to see the two nations increase people-to-people exchanges, and expand their cooperation in areas like culture, broadcasting, news, education and tourism.

The Moroccan side, for its part, said the king's visit to China last year has lead to a new stage in bilateral relations.

Moroccan officials said China's transformation under the CPC has been remarkable, and the strategic partnership can be enhanced through closer ties in politics, trade, and people-to-people ties.

During the visit, Liu also witnessed the signing of an agreement allowing the broadcast of a Chinese television series as well as movies on the leading Moroccan TV channel 2M, the launching of a Chinese series dubbed in Arabic, and the opening of a visual exhibition at the National Library showcasing both the cultures of China and Morocco.