Top Chinese legislator vows to deepen cooperation, exchanges with Morocco

RABAT, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Visiting top Chinese legislator Zhao Leji has vowed to deepen China's cooperation with Morocco and promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries.

At the invitation of Speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives Rachid Talbi Alami, Zhao, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, paid an official friendly visit to the country from Thursday to Sunday, and held talks with Alami, Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, and Mohamed Hanine, the first vice speaker of the Moroccan House of Councillors.

When meeting with Akhannouch, Zhao said that, under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Moroccan King Mohammed VI, China-Morocco relations have developed by leaps and bounds and are in its best shape ever.

Zhao called for further implementation of the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and lift the China-Morocco strategic partnership to a higher level.

China thanks Morocco for abiding by the one-China principle and providing China with valuable support on issues covering Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet, and human rights, he said.

China is willing to deepen cooperation with Morocco within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), actively implement the outcomes of the first China-Arab States Summit and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), tap the potential for cooperation, expand people-to-people exchanges, and promote mutual learning between the two civilizations and people-to-people connectivity, Zhao said.

China stands ready to work with Arab states, including Morocco, to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era so as to create a better future for the China-Arab strategic partnership, he added.

Akhannouch said the establishment of strategic partnership between Morocco and China, which was announced by the two heads of state in 2016, opens up a new era for bilateral relations.

Morocco adheres to the one-China principle and firmly supports China in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, he added.

The Moroccan prime minister voiced willingness to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields, such as Belt and Road cooperation, trade and investment, and people-to-people exchanges, in order to promote the development of bilateral ties.

During his respective talks with Alami and Hanine, Zhao said that Morocco was one of the first Arab and African countries to establish diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China, and the two countries have stayed true to their original aspirations to help each other and make progress together.

As this year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of China-Morocco diplomatic ties, Zhao called on the two countries to unwaveringly support each other, deepen practical cooperation, strengthen multilateral coordination, and promote further development of the China-Morocco strategic partnership.

President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), providing China's solutions to development and security problems and promoting the progress of human civilization, Zhao said.

China appreciates Morocco's support for the GDI and its participation in the Group of Friends of the GDI, he said, welcoming Morocco to join the GSI and the GCI.

Zhao said the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, is ready to strengthen regular exchanges with the Moroccan parliament to share the experience on governance and create a sound legal environment for practical cooperation.

For his part, Alami said the two countries remain committed to upholding justice and providing mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns.

Noting that China is one of Morocco's main trading partners, he called on the two sides to deepen pragmatic cooperation and jointly explore the African market for mutual benefit and win-win results.

He also thanked China for helping Morocco fight the COVID-19 pandemic, expressing the willingness to give a full play to the legislative body's role in promoting bilateral economic and cultural exchanges.

Hailing the strong political trust between China and Morocco, Hanine said that Morocco actively supports the major initiatives proposed by Xi and is willing to work with China to make bilateral ties an exemplar of friendly relations between nations.

During the talks, Zhao also briefed on Chinese modernization and the socialist path of political development with Chinese characteristics, among others.

Expressing full respect for China's history and development path, the Moroccan side said that only when countries respect each other's political systems and development models can the world achieve peace, stability and development, adding that Morocco is willing to work with China to contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

During his visit, Zhao attended a banquet hosted by the prime minister in the name of King Mohammed VI.

During his visit to the Confucius Institute at the Mohammed V University, Zhao expressed hope that the two countries could jointly cultivate more envoys to enhance China-Morocco, China-Arab states, and China-Africa friendly exchanges.

Zhao also called for greater efforts to deepen the pragmatic cooperation between China and Africa during a tour of CITIC Dicastal, a Chinese auto parts manufacturer in Morocco.

He stressed that it is necessary to practice the principles of China's Africa policy -- sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and pursuing the greater good and shared interests, so as to make greater contributions to deepening China-Africa pragmatic cooperation.