EU-China match: Maps of Morocco

Brings visit Wednesday, February 9 Morocco, Ursula von der Leyen announced in a tweet that the European Union (EU) would allocate 1. 1.6 billion in investment to Morocco without further details.

According to interpretations from the European Commission in Rabat to Medias 24, “these funds are in a bilateral envelope (in the form of Donations) EU for Morocco in the period 2021-2027. As for the target sectors, “they are in line with the strategy Global Gateway“, We are told.

Global Gateway The project aims to raise up to 300 300 billion for the EU’s strategy to “create intelligent, clean and secure connections in the digital, energy and transport sectors and strengthen health, education and research systems around the world.” This is the stated goal.

But, for some viewers, the Global Gateway strategy aims to implicitly confront “New Silk Roads” By 2049, Morocco has pledged to promote Chinese funding for major projects and promote trade with Africa.

The former ambassador of the kingdom in C டிte d’Ivoire contacted us, Ahmed FaiziRate that The quality of Moroccan-EU relations depends on a strategic and political perspective rather than a financial envelope.

“Indeed, the EU’s offer to Morocco cannot function properly without a common global political vision, taking into account Morocco’s own strategic interests in terms of its regional integrity and its interests in Africa.”

To the question asked by Médias24, Emmanuel DuPuy, head of the Institute for Futures and Security (IPSE) in Europe, if the EU and China are not on the same financial level, Ambition remains the sameBecause Africa The Global Gateway and the New Silk Road are two of the building blocks of the project.

Therefore, knowing that Morocco has decisive cooperation with its first economic partner, the EU, it makes sense for Rabat to go after President Ursula van der Ley Tucker, as in Africa, in terms of trade volume. The new leader of the African Union met with Maggie Road, Senegal.

“Indeed, when Europe looks at Morocco with great interest, This is because it was the first African country to sign an advanced status agreement with the European Union in 2003. It was later copied to Tunisian and Algerian cases. This relationship is unique, even in the sense that Morocco is marked with a very advanced status, ”recalled Emmanuel Dubui.

“EU seeks serious partners to establish a new European Silk Road”

“Furthermore, the European President’s visit to Morocco took place shortly before the EU – AU Summit, in a specific context in which Europe needed to find credible partners within the AU.

“Since its return, Morocco has been very involved in the Peace and Security Commission and by its request to join ECOWAS, it has shown its willingness to further anchor itself in its territory. Not forgetting its effective cooperation in the fight against terrorism and illegal immigration,” Emmanuel Dubui stressed.

“If the Global Gateway project looks like a new European Silk Road, its goal is not to repeat the mistakes of the Chinese by relying too much on the digital and environmental dimension. There is, “said David Cook, chief of The Christian Science Monitor’s Washington bureau.

Asked if Morocco could take advantage of both Chinese loans and European donations, Dubui said there was nothing against it. This is not a matter of a political or legal union, but of geopolitical predictions. “Morocco is fully interested in increasing its participation in these projects. It has never been a question of preventing the Chinese or Europeans from joining their partners in other development projects.”

“Otherwise it means he has become China’s ally against Europe. One does not invalidate the other, but they complement each other, because. The practical intelligence of a country like Morocco relies precisely on all possible and imaginative plans to strengthen its economic appeal.“, Says the head of the Futures and Security Agency in Europe.

He added, “It is true that Morocco, like Spain, for example, attracts both Chinese and European FDI, which has become its first economic partner with 12 billion euros more per year than France. It will not lead to a separate agreement between the 77 signatories to the plan and China.

“EU wants to use negative image of new Silk Roads”

The geo-politician explains to us the difference between Chinese loans and European donations China needs to be careful about who it lends to. No longer end up with customers (Sri Lanka, Montenegro, Djibouti, etc.) who are unable to repay their loan. Knowing that many of the signatory countries have become indebted and suffocated, China wants to be vigilant in the current image of new silk roads emerging.

“This is the main difference between the Global Gateway project in Europe, which is about donations or cooperation between equals, and above all it is not constrained by unsustainable debt,” Dubui said. The EU believes betting on this virtuous image.

On the benefits that Morocco can gain from the Sino-European double attack, our speaker encourages healthy competition between the two donors, but also with other lenders.

“In fact, we should not limit ourselves to China and the EU, because the United States is part of a new format of major investment projects on the African continent. Contains.

DuPont mentions Morocco’s potential contribution to the Chinese in Africa 50% of Chinese investment is concentrated in ten African countries on the east coast (Tanzania, Ethiopia, Djibouti, etc.). Corn West Africa is the new land of conquest.

“If Morocco, which plays a north-south shift, knows the legitimacy of the continent and its proximity to Europe, it could be an anchor point for countries like China. But in reality, Morocco’s African role is more important to Europe than China’s.It began its economic onslaught on the continent decades ago.

“Indeed, Tunisia’s characteristic crisis, the recent coup of President Giuseppe and the tense situation in Algeria, political instability and emigration tensions with France are the only permanent anchors for a dialogue between Morocco. EU and AU“, Dubai is making progress.

“Morocco must choose between European relocation and Chinese investment”

The potential massive Chinese investment in Morocco could turn into a backbone for the “factory of the world” that could prevent the old continent from being hit by the recent stock shortage (semiconductors, etc.) that the geopolitical rejects. According to him, Europe, shot by the crisis, is precisely aiming to shift its strategic industries to Morocco so that it does not become dependent on China.

“Morocco should be hosting on its soil in strategic factories (pharmaceuticals, textiles, automobiles, aeronautics, etc.) on behalf of Europe or China;