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On the 12th of May 2016, King Mohammed VI and the Chinese president Xi Jinping chaired a signing ceremony of 15 bilateral agreements. The two leaders held talks to further promote bilateral relations.
Among these documents, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the deputy minister in charge of national defense, Abdellatif Loudiyi and the director of China national space administration Xu Dazhe.
Fifteen months after the royal visit, the government submitted a draft agreement on a military cooperation between the two countries waiting for the MPs approval. The bill announces the creation of a joint military commission, and a framework that would govern and regulate all the partnerships maintained between the Moroccan and Chinese armies. The document is also accompanied with a clause that insists on the confidentiality of the scientific and military exchanged data.
China’s interest in Africa
Once approved by both houses of the Moroccan parliament and published on the Official Bulleting, this agreement will allow Morocco to diversify its military partnerships. Especially now when China is opening its arms to the African continent and investing in every corner. Chinese UN peacekeepers are already operating in the continent, namely in Central Africa along with their Moroccan counterparts.
China’s interest in Africa was furthermore proved on Tuesday, August the 1st, through the inauguration of a Chinese naval base in Djibouti. China also aims to establish other bases in the Sahel.
On the other hand, Morocco plays a primordial role when it comes to the Chinese strategy. The first step was made on the 12th of May 2016 which might lead in the future to establishment of a military partnership.
