Staff members work at an aluminum wheel factory of the CITIC Dicastal Co., Ltd., at the Kenitra Atlantic Free Zone in Morocco's Kenitra on June 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Chen Binjie)
China and Morocco will promote mutually beneficial cooperation, especially in jointly combating the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries' foreign ministers said Thursday.
China and Morocco enjoy profound friendship and solid mutual trust, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone conversation with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
Wang recalled the phone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Moroccan King Mohammed VI in August, which he said points out the direction for and injects impetus into the development of the two countries' strategic partnership in the next stage.
Wang said both sides should continue enhancing communication, well implement the important consensus reached between the two heads of state, expand all-round mutually beneficial cooperation and promote the China-Morocco strategic partnership to achieve greater development in the post-pandemic era.
Thanks to the personal care of the two heads of state, vaccine cooperation between China and Morocco has made positive progress, Wang said, adding China will continue to encourage Chinese companies to strengthen coordination with the Moroccan side to help the country overcome the epidemic at an early date.
With regard to the fact that some U.S. politicians resorted to all means to smear and discredit China around the world and coerce other countries to take sides, Wang stressed that this is the most despicable act in contemporary international politics, which fully exposes the U.S. unilateral bullying and self-serving nature.
The United States has not only renounced its international obligations, but also attempted to deprive developing countries of their legitimate right to development, Wang said.
In this sense, supporting China means supporting multilateralism, the basic norms of international relations, the common interests of emerging market economies and international equity and justice, he added.
King Mohammed VI has stressed many times that developing relations with China is Morocco's unswerving strategic choice, and has instructed to set up special working mechanisms to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and accelerate major cooperation between the two sides, Bourita said.
Morocco has always supported and will continue to support China in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and firmly opposes any interference in China's internal affairs by external forces, Bourita said.
Morocco sincerely appreciates China's strong support to Morocco's fight against the epidemic, and speaks highly of China's dispatch of medical experts to the country, Bourita said.
Morocco looks forward to further strengthening cooperation with China in the fight against COVID-19, Bourita said.
