Morocco Emerges as Crucial Continental Leader at China-Africa Summit

The Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held in Beijing from September 4 to 6, has reinforced Morocco’s status as an essential continental leader that places the development and prosperity of Africa at the heart of its diplomatic efforts, in accordance with the High Directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him. This significant event was an opportunity to reiterate the Kingdom’s firm and concrete commitment to work with China and for Africa, fostering pragmatic and solidarity-based cooperation within a win-win partnership framework. This edition of the Forum, attended by Heads of State and Government and high-ranking officials from China and African countries that are members of the United Nations, is a perfect illustration of Morocco’s African policy, which has consistently advocated for the diversification of the continent’s economic partnerships and the promotion of effective and multidimensional South-South and triangular cooperation. The Summit’s proceedings allowed participants to highlight the importance of FOCAC, especially in key areas for Africa such as industrialization and agricultural modernization, governance, infrastructure, peace, and security. These priorities were reflected in the key documents adopted by consensus at the Summit, namely the Beijing Declaration and the 2025-2027 Action Plan, marking a pivotal step in strengthening China-Africa relations. It is worth noting that since the start of the preparatory work for this Summit several months ago, Moroccan diplomacy has been actively promoting the Kingdom’s achievements for the benefit of the African continent, while also countering malicious attempts from Algeria, both in terms of participation in the Summit and in the documents adopted. In every respect and on all fronts, this has been a successful mission, thanks to the patient work of Moroccan diplomacy under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. In this regard, the Beijing Declaration and the 2025-2027 Action Plan confirm in their first paragraph that only African states that are members of the United Nations are members of FOCAC, debunking the Algerian falsehood that the pseudo-entity is part of African partnerships. Moreover, the cardinal principles of respect for and preservation of national unity, territorial integrity, and the sovereignty of African states, proposed by Morocco, were enshrined in several paragraphs of both the Declaration and the 2025-2027 Action Plan. No reference to self-determination was included, and several hostile proposals from Algeria were rejected. Algeria has now lost credibility in the eyes of an international community increasingly aware of its schemes. The Beijing Declaration also acknowledged Morocco’s organization of COP 22 in November 2016 and the adoption of the Marrakech Declaration following the first African Action Summit on the sidelines of COP22. This Summit, organized by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, saw the participation of many African Heads of State and the launch of key initiatives, such as the creation of the three climate commissions for the African continent. In recognition of the Kingdom’s pioneering role in Africa in the field of artificial intelligence, FOCAC participants commended the adoption of the African Consensus on Artificial Intelligence, following the High-Level Forum on AI held in Rabat in June 2024, under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. Additionally, the Beijing Action Plan makes a special reference to the Rabat Office of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Program and Training for Africa, a strong signal of the Kingdom’s commitment to cooperate with African countries in eradicating this scourge in Africa and beyond. On the economic front, FOCAC, through the 2025-2027 Action Plan, praised the organization of the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Morocco in 2023, reaffirming the importance of the objectives outlined in the Marrakech Declaration on accelerating Africa’s emergence, in order to implement a more equitable global financial architecture that promotes the development of Africa, respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of African states, and contributes to the well-being of their populations. Indeed, Morocco, deeply engaged in FOCAC since its creation 24 years ago, has been able to play a leading role in the Forum’s evolution, thanks to its privileged relations with China and African countries. The Forum has evolved into a successful and exemplary platform for cooperation between China and Africa, within which the Kingdom has become a key strategic player.