RABAT, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and China explored means to enhance bilateral media cooperation during a Chinese media delegation's visit to Rabat, Morocco's official MAP news agency reported on Friday.
The discussions were held at a meeting between Moroccan Minister of Culture and Communication Mohamed El Aaraj and Hu Xiaohan, vice president of the All-China Journalists Association, the report said.
In a statement to MAP following the meeting, Aaraj said that Morocco looks forward to further consolidating the "distinguished and strategic" relations with China, while underlining the importance of media exchanges.
He noted that Morocco intends to set up a joint committee with China to deepen the ties in media and journalism, and organize exchange of visits between Moroccan and Chinese journalists in the coming months.
For his part, Hu, who led the Chinese media delegation to Morocco, said his visit aimed to promote the bilateral ties in the field of journalism.
The All-China Journalists Association has sent two delegations to visit Morocco since last year, which reflects its "interest in strengthening its relations with our Moroccan counterpart," he noted.
The association invited Morocco to attend a forum it will hold next year on the Belt and Road Initiative, he added.
Proposed by China in 2013, the initiative aims to create greater trade, infrastructure and people-to-people links connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond, by reviving and expanding the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road.
The visit was part of the activities to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Morocco.
Also on Thursday, the two sides held a seminar on enhancing the China-Morocco media cooperation, which was attended by government officials and representatives of journalists and media organizations from both countries.
Abdelilah Tahani, director of the Communication Department of the Moroccan Ministry of Culture and Communication and acting director of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, told Xinhua that his department plans to establish cooperation programs with China to foster links between media professionals of the two countries.
Hu told the seminar that, as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the media of both countries must broaden the scope and enrich the form of their reporting, deepen their exchanges and cooperation to better contribute to the development of the relations between China and Morocco.
For his part, Abdallah Elbakkali, president of the National Union of Journalists of Morocco, said this seminar was conducive to the development of the media relations between China and Morocco, and would also help promote cooperation in all other areas.