More Direct Flights, Heritage Fashion Debut: Sports & Culture Bridge China–Morocco Cooperation

Report by Wang Jing | China Times | Beijing

“Morocco can serve as a transit and logistics hub for Chinese enterprises entering Africa,” Amine LAHMAMSI, Manager of the Bank of Africa Shanghai Branch, told China Times at the “Morocco–China Sports & Culture Festival” (hereinafter referred to as the “Festival”) held in Beijing from May 9 to 10. His judgment is based on Morocco’s geographical advantages, policy facilitation and a free trade agreement network covering many African countries.

At the same event, another piece of news directly beneficial to bilateral economic and trade cooperation was released: a weekly direct flight from Shanghai to Casablanca will be launched soon.

As a core part of the 2026 series of celebrations for Morocco–China friendship, the Festival is hosted by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in China, co-supported by the Beijing Bureau of the Moroccan National Tourism Office (MNTO) and the Morocco-China Business Council (affiliated to the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises, CGEM). It has brought together people from economic, cultural, academic and art fields of China and Morocco, as well as ambassadors of Turkey, Spain and other countries to China, and representatives of the Moroccan community residing in China. The Festival marks the 10th anniversary of the visit of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco to China in 2016 and the establishment of the strategic partnership between the two countries. It also aims to comprehensively deepen practical cooperation between the two countries in culture, sports, tourism, economy and trade through a multi-dimensional form of “building bridges with sports, promoting exchanges with culture and forging bonds with economy and trade”.

More Morocco–China Direct Flights to Boost Economic and Trade Channels

In 2025, Morocco received nearly 20 million international tourists, with tourism revenue reaching 13.8 billion US dollars, up 14% and 21% year-on-year respectively. Notably, with the continuous warming of cultural and tourism exchanges, Chinese tourists have become one of the fastest-growing source markets for Morocco’s tourism industry.

The most intuitive change in connectivity between China and Morocco comes from the increased flight routes. Otman Mazouz, Chief Representative of the Moroccan National Tourism Office in China, revealed to the media including this newspaper at the opening ceremony that five direct flights per week are currently operating between Beijing and Casablanca, and a new weekly direct flight from Shanghai to Casablanca will be added soon.

Otman Mazouz stated that this Festival is the first of its kind held by Morocco in China, hoping to accurately reach the Chinese consumer market through diverse forms such as fashion shows, music performances and sports demonstrations. He extended a direct invitation to Chinese tourists, adding that Morocco will work with all parties to deepen cultural and tourism connectivity, develop high-quality tourist routes, and facilitate travel for Chinese tourists and cooperation in the bilateral cultural and tourism industries.

At the other end of the venue, a small-scale “Quality Products Going Global” exhibition was held simultaneously. The reporter saw at the exhibition area that Morocco’s olive oil famous in the European market, the world’s unique argan oil and its derived natural hair and skin care products, SPA black soap series were displayed in a row, as well as Casablanca beer, fruit wine, edible argan oil, nut dip and natural honey. The concentrated appearance of these high-quality original ecological products reflects the urgent desire of Morocco’s local industrial chain to connect with China’s broad market channels.

Financial connectivity is even deeper. Amine said in an interview with this newspaper that with its advantages in location, policies and free trade agreements, Morocco can serve as a transit and logistics hub for Chinese enterprises to enter Africa. In his view, Morocco–China economic and trade cooperation enjoys broad prospects by taking the fast train of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Intangible Cultural Heritage Skills Debut in China, Integrated Cultural and Sports Performances Advance

Sports set the stage, culture takes the spotlight, and economy and trade follow up. The reporter saw at the scene that a fashion show, several folk performances and friendly matches integrated cultural exchanges with economic and trade cooperation.

Among them, the traditional Moroccan fashion show became the focus of the whole event. At the end of 2025, the traditional craft of Moroccan caftan was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. This is the first centralized demonstration of the craft in China since its inscription, covering haute couture, traditional handicrafts, contemporary design and other fields.

In terms of sports, the organizers carried out people-to-people exchanges through friendly competitions. Football, basketball, badminton, aerobics and other events were held in turn. The participating teams were composed of mixed groups of Moroccan students studying in China, diplomats, entrepreneurs and Chinese competitors, with the spirit of friendship through competition far outweighing the competition itself.

During the event, Dar Kbira, a traditional Moroccan cultural heritage performance group, presented folk performances such as Marrakchi “Dakka”, and violinist and composer Youness EL KHAZAN performed a fusion of Moroccan traditional music and classical music, becoming another highlight of the scene.

At the scene, Selçuk Ünal, Ambassador of Turkey to China, said in an interview with China Times that the Festival fully demonstrated the profound friendship between China and Morocco, and the display method was very three-dimensional. “It comprehensively showcases Morocco’s distinctive achievements in economy, finance, tourism, culture and other fields, and presents an open, inclusive and friendly social outlook of Morocco.”

Marta Betanzos Roig, Ambassador of Spain to China, perceived more cultural charm. She praised the event for its rich content and brilliant highlights, fully demonstrating Morocco’s unique charm in food, fashion and culture. In her view, Morocco is full of enthusiasm, vitality and profound traditional heritage, and the Festival has effectively enhanced friendship among all parties. She also looked forward to Spain further deepening exchanges and cooperation in various fields with Morocco and China under such multilateral frameworks in the future.

“The traditional friendship between China and Morocco has a long history. Since the establishment of the strategic partnership between the two countries in 2016, bilateral relations have continued to steadily improve and upgrade,” H.E. Mr. Abdelkader EL ANSARI, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to China, told the media including this newspaper. In his view, this Sports & Culture Festival is a vivid practice of China–Morocco friendship. It not only fully displays the unique charm of Morocco’s culture, cuisine and handicrafts, but also fully highlights Morocco’s core advantages as a high-quality tourist destination and a promising land for investment, which will surely push China–Morocco cooperation in various fields to a new level. Morocco has always attached great importance to developing relations with China, and is willing to take this event as an opportunity to continuously deepen all-round cooperation, promote the sustained and sound development of the China–Morocco strategic partnership, and bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples.