Moroccan experts say the Casablanca expo will boost China-Morocco cooperation, turn zero-tariff policy gains into concrete results, and strengthen China-Africa trade, investment and industrial ties.

CHANGSHA/RABAT, June 10 (Xinhua) -- The Morocco session of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo opened on Wednesday in Casablanca, the largest city of Morocco.

The event is the first major overseas economic and trade event organized by central China's Hunan Province in Africa since China fully implemented a zero-tariff policy for 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations.

Featuring targeted and practical matchmaking mechanisms, the expo will build a new bridge for mutual benefit and serve as a landmark platform to deepen China-Morocco strategic cooperation and upgrade China-Africa economic and trade ties, said Moroccan experts.

It comes at an opportune time, as it marks the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership between China and Morocco, and will help translate the dividends of the zero-tariff policy into practical cooperation results, said Nasser Bouchiba, president of the Morocco-based Africa China Cooperation Association for Development.

It will enable premium Moroccan products to enter the vast Chinese market more smoothly, while encouraging more Chinese enterprises to expand their presence in North Africa, improve localized service networks, and strengthen the integration of industrial and supply chains, said Bouchiba.

Two-way trade between China and Morocco amounted to 10.96 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, up from 9.04 billion dollars in 2024. China has remained Morocco's third-largest trading partner globally and its largest trading partner in Asia for many consecutive years.

In 2025, China's exports to Morocco reached 9.88 billion dollars, while imports from Morocco stood at 1.08 billion dollars.

Jawad Kerdoudi, president of the Moroccan Institute of International Relations, called the policy a mutually beneficial strategic move, which would help reduce Africa's trade deficit with China, attract more Chinese investment, and bring capital, technology and jobs to the continent.

Morocco has seen a marked acceleration in attracting Chinese investment in recent years, with many major projects having been launched, covering new energy, green technology, textiles and other fields, boosting local industrialization and creating jobs, he said.

On the significance of the expo, Mohamed Khalil, president of the Morocco-China Friendship and Exchange Association, said it will further promote policy synergy, industrial matchmaking and people-to-people bonds.