Top legislator Wu Bangguo arrived in Casablanca Sunday on an official goodwill visit to Morocco aimed at boosting bilateral ties.

 

Wu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, is the first NPC?head to visit the northwestern African nation.

 

During the visit, he will hold meetings with Moroccan leaders and have an in-depth exchange of views on issues of common concern, Wu said in a written speech delivered on arrival at Mohamed V Airport.

 

"The Chinese side stands ready to work with Morocco to consolidate and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and continuously push forward the development of Sino-Moroccan ties in the spirit of boosting understanding, and broadening cooperation for common development," Wu said.

 

"Over nearly half a century since the establishment of diplomatic ties, friendly relations between China and Morocco have developed smoothly on the basis of mutual respect, equality and reciprocity. There have been frequent high-level exchanges, and mutual trust in the political arena has been strengthened increasingly," Wu said.

 

Bilateral cooperation has been expanding in trade, health, tourism, science and technology, Wu said, adding that the two sides share broad common ground, cooperate closely and support each other in international affairs.

 

Shortly after his arrival, Wu visited the headquarters of Morocco's Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP), the world's largest exporter of phosphate rock and derivatives.

 

He later attended a signing ceremony of two agreements between the OCP and China's Sinochem Corporation covering phosphate exports to China and joint investment projects.

 

Morocco's phosphate reserves are estimated at 110 billion tons, or three quarters of proven world reserves.

 

Wu will proceed to Rabat, the Moroccan capital, later today.

 

After his Morocco trip, Wu will travel to New York for the Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments, which is a follow-up to the first gathering of presiding officers organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in August-September 2000 on the occasion of the UN Millennium Assembly.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2005)