Morocco and China share a common vision for African development driven by investment, technical cooperation, and the strengthening of local capacities, said Minister of Health and Social Protection, Amine Tahraoui, on Tuesday in Rabat.
Speaking at the ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the deployment of the first Chinese medical teams to Morocco, Tahraoui stated that the Kingdom, alongside its Chinese partners, aspires to develop a three-dimensional cooperation with fellow African countries, not only in the health sector but also in other key areas.
With its deep African roots, Morocco is well-positioned to actively support initiatives aimed at strengthening health systems, medical training, local pharmaceutical production, and the expansion of healthcare coverage across Africa, he emphasized, noting that the Moroccan-Chinese partnership encompasses advanced fields such as digital health, artificial intelligence applied to healthcare, telemedicine, healthcare workforce training, biomedical research, and integrative traditional medicine.
Tahraoui also recalled that under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco is undergoing an ambitious reform of its health system. This overhaul aims to ensure universal health coverage, strengthen the appeal of the public sector, improve the quality and safety of care, and make innovation a key lever of this strategic transformation.
For his part, the Mayor of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, Gong Zheng, highlighted that Chinese medical teams have worked alongside their Moroccan counterparts over the past five decades to contribute to the development of the Kingdom’s health system.
This longstanding experience has fostered enduring bonds of friendship and cooperation and contributed to building a common Sino-African front in the face of major global transformations.
Zheng also welcomed the growth and dynamism of relations between China and various African countries in recent years, recalling that Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged, during the last Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit in September, to elevate relations with African countries to the level of a strategic partnership.
On this occasion, three ambulances were handed over, and a series of joint health initiatives were launched, including a medical campaign for cataract surgery in Chefchaouen, the official inauguration of a Chinese Acupuncture Center in Mohammedia, and the organization of a scientific conference on Sino-Moroccan traditional medicine, with the participation of a host of doctors and experts.
MAP: 15 July 2025
