Festival in Beijing Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Moroccan-Chinese Strategic Partnership

A landmark cultural and sports festival was held over the weekend in Beijing to mark the 10th anniversary of King Mohammed VI’s visit to China and the signing of the China-Morocco Strategic Partnership on May 11,2016.

The festival,organized by Morocco’s Embassy in China,featured sports competitions in football,basketball,badminton,and aerobics,exhibitions of Moroccan local products with strong potential on the Chinese market,as well as business meetings with Chinese companies.

The event was held in partnership with a prestigious multidisciplinary sports center in Beijing and in collaboration with Morocco’s tourism and businesses bodies. It received wide coverage from Chinese audiovisual media and print press.

The festival’s flagship event was a gala evening held on Sunday,attended by 350 guests from diplomatic,economic,cultural,and artistic communities,as well as the Moroccan diaspora living in China.

It was highlighted by a dinner of Moroccan cuisine,musical performances drawn from the national repertoire and folklore,and a fashion show bringing together Moroccan designers around the art of the caftan,which was added last year to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Morocco’s Ambassador in China,Abdelkader El Ansari,highlighted the strong and steadily growing ties that bind the two countries following the Royal Visit to China.

He also stressed the human and cultural dimensions of this cooperation,noting that the Morocco–China Culture and Sports Festival reflects the diversity and depth of exchanges between the two countries.

The festival drew enthusiastic reactions from the attendees,including the Ambassador of Turkey in China,Selçuk Ünal,who praised an event that enshrines the depth of Sino-Moroccan relations and showcases various facets of the Moroccan civilization.

Spain’s Ambassador to China,Marta Betanzos Roig,on her part,viewed the immersion into Moroccan life in Beijing offered a culinary journey and a window onto the modernity of a country that reconciles traditions with openness to the world.

Bahrain’s Ambassador to China,Mohamed Shaikhou,described the gala evening as a reflection of the Kingdom’s rich culture,highlighting the many shared values between Morocco and Bahrain.

Chinese guests expressed admiration for Moroccan culture and gastronomy,and several attending business operators voiced special interest for the economic opportunities offered by the Kingdom,especially in the energy,industrial,and tourism sectors.