Speaker of the House of Representatives and His Parliamentary Entourage Hold High-Level Parliamentary Talks in the People’s Republic of China

<p style="text-align: justify;">Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, and the high-level parliamentary delegation representing the Majority and Opposition Groups, held talks, on Thursday, May 16, 2024, with Hon. Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, and Hon. Wang Huning, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A communique of the House noted that in addition to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Moroccan parliamentary delegation includes Rep. Mohamed Chaouki (Chairperson – Group of the National Rally of Independents), Rep. Ahmed Touizi (Chairperson – Group of Authenticity and Modernity), Rep. Abderrahim Chahid (Chairperson – Socialist Group, Ittihadi Opposition), Rep. Rachid Hamouni (Chairperson – Group of Progress and Socialism), and Rep. Hassan Benomar.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The communique noted that the two meetings, attended by His Majesty’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Abdelkader El Ansari, were an opportunity for Hon. Zhao Leji, Hon. Wang Huning, and Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami to commend the development projects conducted by Morocco and China in various areas under the enlightened leadership of their two leaders. They also praised the qualitative evolution in Morocco-China cooperation since the historic visit performed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him, to China in May 2016 and his talks with the President of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Xi Jinping, which culminated in a joint declaration of the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami and his parliamentary entourage expressed their gratitude and happiness regarding the invitation to visit the People's Republic of China, which reflects the depth and strength of relations between the two countries. They also underscored that the visit falls within the scope of anchoring the vision of the leaders of both countries, reinforcing the Morocco-China friendship, and advancing cooperation between them in all areas, particularly at the parliamentary level.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">For its part, the Chinese side welcomed the Speaker of the House of Representatives and his parliamentary entourage. They also stressed that the two countries are among the few countries in the world that have a civilization and culture spanning thousands of years. Besides, they noted that the two countries share common interests and similar values related to establishing international relations based on peace and security, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, refraining from interference in their internal affairs, and harnessing the resources of peoples for development and prosperity in the economic, social, and cultural fields, student exchange, and building bridges in tourism given the assets available in the Kingdom of Morocco, and thanks to the visionary decision of His Majesty the King to exempt Chinese citizens from visa to enter Morocco.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The two sides also discussed several questions and topics of common interest. Furthermore, they tackled ways to consolidate parliamentary relations between the two legislative institutions within the framework of the memorandum of understanding signed in 2021. They also expressed a strong will to enhance parliamentary cooperation and consultation between the two legislative institutions and strengthen the two countries' parliamentary friendship groups.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As part of this visit, the Moroccan parliamentary delegation headed by Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami also held meetings with Mr. Wang Xiaohui, Secretary of the Communist Party Committee in Sichuan and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress&nbsp; in the province, and Mr. Zhao Yide, Secretary of the Communist Party Committee in Shaanxi, and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress in the province.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The talks focused on the strong historical ties linking Morocco and China and the prospects of reinforcing them to serve the two countries' development and common interests, exchange experiences, and share expertise in fields of mutual interest.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It should be noted that at the invitation of the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, a parliamentary delegation composed of members of the Majority and Opposition and led by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, performs a working visit to the People's Republic of China to reinforce the Morocco-China bilateral parliamentary ties and coordinate at the various international parliamentary fora. The visit also aims to extend bridges of continuous parliamentary communication and dialogue between the two legislative institutions, particularly about the questions of mutual concern.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Hon. Zhao Leji, had previously visited the Kingdom of Morocco in May 2023, leading a high-level parliamentary delegation, at the invitation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco.</p>
<p><strong>(Translated from MAP)</strong></p>