Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, holds talks with speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives Habib El Malki via video link in Beijing, capital of China, April 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING -- Top legislator Li Zhanshu held talks with speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives Habib El Malki, via video link on Wednesday. Both sides agreed to enhance exchanges and cooperation between their legislative bodies.

Noting China-Morocco relations have a long history, Li said both sides should continue to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, deepen traditional friendship, accelerate expansion and deepening of pragmatic cooperation, expand people to people exchanges, strengthen communication and coordination in international affairs, firmly support multilateralism, and firmly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law.

"China is willing to work with African and Arab countries, including Morocco, to support each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, to co-build the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), strengthen cooperation in the fight against the epidemic and other aspects and take concrete actions to jointly build the China-Africa and China-Arab community with a shared future in a new era," Li said.

Emphasizing that the Chinese National People's Congress has maintained friendly exchanges with the Moroccan Parliament for a long time, Li said China is willing to continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries and promote the implementation of the important consensus and bilateral cooperation agreements reached by the leaders of the two countries.

Malki congratulated the Communist Party of China on the 100th anniversary of its founding, adding that the strategic partnership between Morocco and China has continued to deepen and bilateral cooperation has become a new model of South-South cooperation.

Saying Morocco firmly adheres to the one-China policy, Malki added that the unity of the people of the two countries to fight the epidemic has once again demonstrated their high level relations.

"Morocco is willing to further increase practical cooperation with China in various fields such as economic development, BRI construction, and anti-epidemic cooperation," Malki said, adding that the Moroccan Parliament will actively play its role and contribute to the promotion of the development of Morocco-China relations.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, holds talks with speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives Habib El Malki via video link in Beijing, capital of China, April 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)