Morocco and China strengthen their relationship with a focus on the agricultural sector
Morocco will see its partnership with China strengthened thanks to the memorandum of understanding signed last Tuesday on cooperation between the two countries in the agricultural sector. In this way, Rabat will benefit from Asian investment, the main objective of which is to make further progress in terms of food security. Moreover, increasing the contribution of agriculture to Morocco's gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the goals set by Morocco. The agreement, signed by the Moroccan Minister of Agriculture, Mohamed Siddiqi, and his Chinese counterpart, Tang Renjian, and which falls within the framework of the "nine programmes" to be implemented, also focuses on fisheries.
The Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held at the end of 2021 was an important step forward in relations and, even more than a year and a half later, we are still seeing the development of ideas established at that meeting. Siddiqi explained that "the memorandum refers to irrigation water and fish farming, given China's progress in these areas, in addition to animal and vegetable production". Hence, the Alawi kingdom wants to take advantage of Chinese advances in scientific research, digitalisation and innovation, some of the most important elements underpinning cooperation between the two administrations.
This partnership is key for both countries, especially for Morocco, whose agriculture accounts for between 14 and 15 per cent of GDP contribution, a percentage that could increase if the Kingdom's objectives are further advanced. In terms of labour force, the weight of this sector is even greater given that around 35 per cent of the country's total labour force is accounted for by agriculture. However, as mentioned, the idea of the government headed by Aziz Akhanouch is to expand the importance of agriculture, aiming to increase agricultural production fivefold to around 250 billion dirhams - $25 billion - by 2030.
To this end, partnership with Xi Jinping's side is vital. And the latest signs in economic terms invite optimism. In the last five years alone, two-way trade between Morocco and China has grown by 50%, from four billion dollars in 2016 to six billion in 2021. And that is not the only thing, as the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that there are more than 80 joint initiative projects with China that are active on Moroccan territory.
One of the reasons, Tang Renjian explained after signing the memorandum, is that "they realise that China and Morocco have very close similarities and complementarities". This, he said, he realised "after the friendly and fruitful talks with the Moroccan Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries". Although the specific actions to be carried out have not been communicated, Beijing wants to promote investment in various sectors, from the automotive sector to e-commerce, aviation and high technology, among others.
This is a new sign of the good harmony between the two countries, which could already be seen at the beginning of 2022, when Morocco joined China's Belt and Road Initiative. This project aims to boost large-scale investments to develop infrastructure in global economic corridors. Launched a decade ago by the Chinese president, the initiative aims to connect more than 70 countries through rail and road links in Central Asia and Russia. This is coupled with a maritime route that allows China to reach Europe and Africa, the latter of which it already has an important access route thanks to its increasingly strong partnership with Morocco.
