China and Morocco team up to study economic diplomacy

Moroccan and Chinese academics are to set up a joint research institute to study the Belt and Road Initiative, a Chinese economic diplomacy project that has committed $1 trillion of investment in countries along the ancient Silk Road trade route.

The institute, a collaboration between The Hassan I University in Settat and Ningxia University in north China, was announced on 3 January. It will focus on enhancing trade and higher education cooperation between Morocco and China. As part of the initiative, the two universities will host international conferences, research visits, student exchanges, training and collaborative research, the Chinese government said.

An agreement on the project was signed last month, during a visit of Ningxia University delegates to Hassan I University in Settat.