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e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 14, Nº. 1 (May-October 2023)

289

NOTES AND REFLECTIONS

CHINA AND MOROCCO: IMPROBABLE PARTNERS?

NIV HORESH

niv.horesh@gmail.com

Associate Professor at Western Sydney University (Australia). He is a China specialist with over

20 years of experience ranging across the private sector, public service and academe. Between

2000-2003, he lived and worked in Beijing, and has been visiting different parts of the Chinese-

speaking world regularly since. Over the course of his academic career, Niv has held teaching

and research positions at Hebrew University, China Agricultural University, the University of New

South Wales, and the University of Nottingham. He gave keynote presentations of his research

around the world including at Oxford University, NYU Stern School of Business and UCLA. Niv's

research incorporates four main strands in the following order: Chinese History, World Monetary

History, PRC Political Economy, and PRC Foreign Policy with emphasis on the Middle East. His

latest book is China’s Grand Strategy under Xi Jinping: How History Complicates Beijing’s Global

Outreach (Routledge, 2022).

If Chinese foreign policy acumen in the Middle East is manifest in China’s ability to bypass

Shi'a-Sunni rivalries between Iran and Saudi Arabia, then in North Africa this policy is

surely paralleled by China’s ability to remain neutral in the Western Sahara conflict, with

a slight tilt in favour of Morocoo

. Moreover, China has always kept a balanced foreign

policy between rivals Algeria and more pro-Western Morocco even though the latter did

not possess large oil reserves and had less of an anti-colonial legacy to boast. Morocco

despite its deep seated ties with France, and more recently with the US, established

diplomatic ties with China at the height of the Cold War, as early as 1958. It was only

second to Egypt in doing so within Africa as a whole, yet Egypt challenged the West,

fostering a strategic alliance with Moscow under Gamal ‘Abdel Nasser

And China today is already the third largest trading partner of Morocco

. Since 2018,

China’s footprint in the Moroccan market includes trade, infrastructure development,

finance and banking, tourism and manufacturing. As a trade partner, China sets itself

apart from Western competitors by casting itself as an advocate of non-interference in

https://www.chathamhouse.org/2020/02/expanding-sino-maghreb-relations/3-morocco-and-china-

pragmatic-relationship [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

This paragraph is based on Olimat, Muhamad S. (2016). China and North Africa Since World War II: A

Bilateral Approach, Chapter 6. Lexington

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e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 14, Nº. 1 (May-October 2023), pp. 289-294

Notes and Reflections

China and Morocco: improbable partners

Niv Horesh

290

the internal affairs of its partners whereas the human-rights record often blights Western

trade relations with various Africa countries

The turning point in bilateral relations occurred following King Mohammed VI’s 2016

three-day visit to Beijing which saw the signing of some 30 agreements. Thereafter,

relations were upgraded to “strategic partnership”. Relations principally bore fruit, when

the Chinese-invested Tangier Med Port complex became the largest container port in

Africa, and Huawei began setting up 5G facilities there and elsewhere in the country.

Then, it was announced that Rabat would see the establishment of the Tangier Tech City,

which would bring in two hundred Chinese-owned factories in the next ten years

. To

boot, a Chinese cultural centre was opened in Rabat as early as 2018, and in the same

year three Confucius Institutes were set up in Rabat, Casablanca and Tangier

Few reports in the Moroccan press have dealt with concerns that Morocco’s newfound

strategic ties with China might harm relations with Washington. In January 2022,

commentator Mohammed Mamouni Al-‘Alawi published for example an article in the

online platform of Al-Arab, in which he suggested ties with Beijing were designed to

attract new diversified investment to Morocco. ‘Alawi argued that Morocco still granted

the US the title of its most important ally while Washington valued the vital role Morocoo

played for example in the area of economic growth in Africa, the Middle East peace

process, the fight against global terror and inter-faith dialogue

Another anonymous leader article of the same month was published in the US-based Al-

Hurra headlined “Will the rapprochement with China affect relations with the US?”. It

opined that Rabat must prioritize its relations with Washington, which included not just

an economic but a military dimension as well. Relations with China were merely seen as

a diversification of Rabat’s foreign policy portfolio

Yet the ties between China and Morocco go back to fabled traveler Ibn Battuta (1304-

1368 CE), a fact that is not lost on promoters of these relations

. Otherwise, there is

much more scholarly material about Sino-Algerian ties perhaps partly as a result of the

Cold War legacy when Algeria was ideologically much more left wing

. This Research Note

is aimed at closing part of the gap. In general terms, it has to be understood in this

context that even though Morocco lacks oil it has a strategic location for Chinese supply

https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/beijing-strengthens-its-presence-in-the-maghreb/ [Viewed 19 Feb

2023]

https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/beijing-strengthens-its-presence-in-the-maghreb/ [Viewed 19 Feb

2023]

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/10/c_137595617.htm [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

https://alarab.news/%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A8-

%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8-%D9%85%D8%B9-

%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%84%D8%A7-

%D9%8A%D8%A4%D8%AB%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-

%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%85%D8%B9-

%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-

%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A9 [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

https://www.alhurra.com/morocco/2022/01/07/%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A8-

%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B9-

%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%A4%D8%AB%D8%B1-

%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AA-

%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-

%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A9%D8%9F [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

Mackintosh-Smith, Tim (2016). The travels of Ibn Battutah. Macmillan.

Bouchiba, Nasser (2021). Taarikh Al-‘Alakat Al-Maghrebiya Al-Siniya (2018-1958). Dar Al-Aman.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 14, Nº. 1 (May-October 2023), pp. 289-294

Notes and Reflections

China and Morocco: improbable partners

Niv Horesh

291

chains, straddled as it is between Europe and Africa. Thus, pragmatism typifies Sino-

Moroccan relations due to the latter tilt to the West

Covid set back people-to-people relations. Indeed, in 2022 Morocco imposed a complete

ban on arrivals from China

. Yet two years earlier Royal Air Maroc inaugurated direct

regular flights between Casablanca and Beijing, which were poised to increase the

number of Chinese tourists visiting Morocoo. Moreover, since King Muhammed VI’s 2016

visit to Beijing, Morocoo has been trialing a visa waver scheme for Chinese tourists

Covid affected tourisms everywhere but, critically, Chinese state-owned behemoth

Sinopharm allowed Morocoo to use its knowhow to develop its own local vaccine

. And

trade features are about to change too; traditionally Morocco exported citrus to China,

while Chine exported tea to Morocco yet the flows have since become much more

technological and infrastructural on the Chinese side. The main products that Morocco

exports to China nowadays are Raw Copper, Calcium Phosphates, and Zinc Ore

. There

is also growing Moroccan interest in Chinese military hardware

Tangier aside, the infrastructural “trophy” projects for China in Morocoo are the

construction of Africa’s tallest skyscraper in Rabat, which will feature an ecological

design; a grand theater as well as the national archives building and the archaeological

museum. Moreover, as mentioned, the Chinese company Haite is constructing an

industrial city near Tangier. Yangtse automobile has invested in the Tangier industrial

city to produce electric cars for export to Europe, amid the advanced nearby port. And

generally there is a flow of car manufacturers from Algeria to Morocoo

. The Chint Group

is otherwise engaged in building the Noor 2 and Noor 3 solar parks near Marrakesh, which

are projected to be the largest in the world. Completed projects include the China Railway

Engineering Group 950-meter bridge between Rabat and Sale

A growing number of Chinese auto-parts companies are investing in Morocco, given its

proximity to French automakers' supply chain, including China's Nanjing Xiezhong Group,

and CITIC Dicastal. And in 2017, BYD which is backed by Warren Buffett became the

largest Chinese automaker to set up shop in the Tangier industrial city, promising to

create 2500 jobs

. The King Mohammed VI Tangier tech city project will include some

200 Chinese firms in all sectors as well as Moroccan government and private companies,

https://www.ankasam.org/china-morocco-relations/?lang=en [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/morocco-ban-arrivals-china-over-covid-surge-2022-12-31/ [Viewed

19 Feb 2023]

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/09/282388/royal-air-maroc-to-inaugurate-casablanca-beijing-

direct-flight-january-16 [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

https://atalayar.com/en/content/morocco-and-china-strengthen-their-relations-strategic-policies;

https://www.zawya.com/en/projects/bri/moroccos-laprophan-chinas-sinopharm-sign-healthcare-

cooperation-pact-f4e9fe2r [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

https://www.silkroadbriefing.com/news/2022/01/10/morocco-upgrades-chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-

financing-investment-agreements/ [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

https://www.theafricareport.com/268839/morocco-china-why-rabat-is-buying-arms-from-beijing/

[Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

https://thediplomat.com/2017/03/morocco-chinas-gateway-to-africa;

http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/focac/183433.htm [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]; Pairault, Thierry

(2018). “La Chine dans la mondialisation: l’insertion de la filière automobile chinoise en Algérie et au

Maroc”. Revue internationale des économistes de langue française, pp. 133-150.

https://thediplomat.com/2019/07/china-has-quietly-carved-out-a-foothold-in-north-africa/ [Viewed 19

Feb 2023]

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2017/12/235934/renault-peugeot-chinese-car-byd-morocco

[Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

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e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 14, Nº. 1 (May-October 2023), pp. 289-294

Notes and Reflections

China and Morocco: improbable partners

Niv Horesh

292

led by China Communications Construction Company LTD, with expected completion of

the city in 2027. The complex will host ultimately companies in automotive, aerospace,

textile, electronics, and machinery on the 2000-hectare site

***

The treatment of Morocoo in the Chinese official press is usually positive, and there is

hardly any provocative reporting on the crisis in Western Sahara

. Instead, there is

emphasis on Morocco as a South-South economic partner, and island of stability in the

Maghreb region. On its part, the Moroccan media rarely reports on issues sensitive to

China like the plight of Uighurs, Taiwan independence, or Tibet

. It should also be added

in this context that Morocco has arrested Uighur activists on its soil at PRC request

In another piece for Al-Arab, Alawi opined that the world was ruled by more “brutal”

(kaswah) powers than Morocoo or China, and that the strategic partnership between the

two countries will help maximize the available opportunities as part of the Belt and Road

Initiative (BRI), and fulfill its lasting progress; China and Morocoo were keen to bridge

the economic gap between them, and China will encourage its big companies to invest in

the region which has seen growth in recent years

Moroccan opposition online newspaper Lakome (“To You”) is a sole voice publishing

articles critical of China like that of Tarek Lisawi, in the context of the muslim minority in

China

“It is worth noting that most of the small national minorities are concentrated

in the periphery provinces of China and its borders near the borders with

neighboring countries. These minorities have suffered through historical

periods from “chauvinist policies”

by the “Han” majority, until some of them came to extinction…

In January 2022 Morocco has become the first country in North Africa to sign the

Implementation Plan of Jointly Building the BRI with China

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/07/350464/morocco-signs-agreement-to-start-mohammed-

vi-tangier-tech-city-project [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

Liu Dongning 刘东宁and Ma Lirong 马立蓉>>中国主流媒体对摩洛哥报道研究>>北方工业大学学报, 第32 卷第6 期

2020 年12 月, pp. 39-44

https://thediplomat.com/2017/03/morocco-chinas-gateway-to-africa [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/28/morocco-authorities-arrest-uyghur-activist-at-chinas-

request [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

https://alarab.news/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8-

%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%8C-

%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%A9-

%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%BA%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%A9-

%D8%A8%D8%B9%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-

%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AB%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1 [Viewed 19 Feb

2023]

https://lakome2.com/opinion/256586/ [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202201/1245226.shtml [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

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e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 14, Nº. 1 (May-October 2023), pp. 289-294

Notes and Reflections

China and Morocco: improbable partners

Niv Horesh

293

Tarek Lisawi has also opined on China’s grand Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framing it

as a debt trap

China is looking to enhance access to its exports to various countries of the

world, by pumping investments in infrastructure and transportation sectors,

through the Belt and Road Initiative, also known as the “Silk Road” for the

twenty-first century…

Although more than 8 years have passed since the launch of the initiative, its details still

suffer from severe ambiguity, at the theoretical and operational levels, as most of its

news is dominated by propaganda and promotional character... This obscurity and

ambiguity has increased with the outbreak of the "Corona" epidemic, which has affected

economic and moral damage to China. Without a doubt, China's soft power is at stake,

and China is required to restore its damaged image, as a result of Western propaganda

in general and America in particular, which made the virus linked to China, namely the

“Chinese virus.”...Therefore, we believe that partnership with China under the

circumstances and the current conditions do not serve the development of the developing

countries participating in the “Belt and Road” project….

The total volume of trade between China and Morocco was worth about US$ 5 billion in

2020, a 2% increase year-on-year despite Covid, while Chinese investment stock in

Morocoo was worth around 400 million US$ the same year

. Most investment is in

infrastructure, mobile parts, telecommunications and fisheries

. But opposition to BRI is

also driven by the fact that Morocco runs a gaping trade deficit with China.

In the Moroccan press, pieces on trade and investment competition between France and

China in Africa rarely appear. But this anonymous piece in Al-Arab strikes precisely that

note

At a time when China has succeeded in devoting itself as a partner to most of

the Arab countries in the Middle East, Beijing is still strongly competing with

the European Union countries in the Maghreb region…China is a first trading

partner for Algeria, Mauritania and Libya, but it lags behind to third place in

Morocco and Tunisia…Unlike Algeria and Mauritania, and to a lesser extent

Libya, China has not yet been able to overtake France and Spain in their trade

with Morocco, and France and Italy with regard to Tunisia, as it ranks third in

the level of transactions, but the growth of its trade with the two countries is

increasing…China is trying to consolidate its economic and political presence

https://lakome2.com/opinion/258270 [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202201/1246500.shtml [Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

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https://alarab.news/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%8A%D9%86-

%D8%AA%D9%8F%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%85-

%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-

%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B0-

%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8-

%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D9%85%D9%86-

%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A9-

%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AB%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA

[Viewed 19 Feb 2023]

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e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 14, Nº. 1 (May-October 2023), pp. 289-294

Notes and Reflections

China and Morocco: improbable partners

Niv Horesh

294

in the Maghreb through the Belt and Road Initiative, and through strategic

partnership and comprehensive strategic partnership…And if the United

States and Russia dominate the arms market in the Maghreb countries,

Chinese weapons are beginning to find their way to the region, albeit

modestly, as Algeria is the largest importer of Chinese weapons in the region,

especially drones, naval vessels and electronic warfare systems.

Lakome also published a leader article in praise of the Chinese development model

And a nation that cancels its past harms its present and its future, and the

Chinese lesson is truly a clear-cut remedy for getting out of the state of non-

development and instability…

In summary, China and Morocoo seem to be forging strategic partnership in the face of

Morocco’s alliance with France and the United States. But the partnership is shaped by

global supply chains which hanker after Morocoo as a cheap labour hub in close proximity

to Europe, via superior port links, and typified by relative political stability. There seems

to be less Chinese interest in Morocoo as a gateway to French speaking Africa although

this proposition is moot. That BYD is invested by Buffett shows the complexity of

transnational manufacturing chains in the automotive industry. And that Huawei has not

been ousted from participating in Morocco’s 5G infrastructure shows Morocco is willing to

risk the wrath of its traditional Western friends to maintain the partnership with China.

It even begun considering the purchase of Chinese-made weapons. The question is

whether this newfound partnership will last if US-China relations deteriorate. Ultimately,

for Morocoo, this is a partnership based on pragmatism, not one designed to replace

warm relations with the West.

How to cite this note

Horesh, Niv (2023). China and Morocco: Improbable Partners? Notes and Reflections in Janus.net,

e-journal of international relations. Vol. 14, Nº 1, May-October 2023. Consulted [online] on date

of last visit, https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-7251.14.1.02

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