East China’s Jiangsu province has promoted the Belt and Road initiative through people-to-people exchanges, as is evidenced by the story about a Moroccan girl who used to study in Wuxi.
Hello,I am Fadwa Aboubakr, Chinese friends call me Yaxin. Every time I meet a native of Wuxi, I will call them fellow-townsman.
You will be surprised that Yaxin speaks fluent Chinese. In 2008, with the yearning for Chinese culture, Yaxin studied Chinese at Jiangnan University in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, and returned to Morocco in 2012. Unfortunately, her mastery of the Chinese language did not play a part in helping her to land a good job in Morocco.
Yaxin, a Moroccan girl
I worked as a part-time interpreter at that time, usually at police stations, courts, hospitals or business negotiations. Only four or five Chinese people would turn to me for help for one year.
Everything changed in 2016. On June 1 that year, Morocco announced that it would exempt the Chinese nationals from visas. On November 17, 2017, China and Morocco signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Belt and Road cooperation. More and more Chinese tourists, more and more Chinese and Moroccan investment exchange projects, changed Yaxin into a Chinese translator from being a Chinese enthusiast only.
Yaxin, a Moroccan girl
I started to have hectic schedules. I have a full schedule from June this year to June the next year. It is usually the case that I finish translation service for a Chinese team at 12 o’clock and will start to work for another Chinese team at 2 in the afternoon.
a Chinese tourist
I think the Moroccan interpreters works better than the tour guide from China as they know better about the specialty food in the locality and also the folk cultures.
Morocco is one of the earliest African and Arab countries to establish diplomatic relations with China. Moroccan students who can speak fluent Chinese have found it easier to land a job since Morocco start to participate in the Belt and Road initiative. Previously, most of them used to work in foreign trade and related industries. Now they are working for all industrial sectors and are often seen at the high-level meetings between China and Morocco.
Anzu, Hamu, Yaxin, three Moroccan enthusiasts of Chinese
Anzu: I have found that Chinese has become an important language.
Yaxin: It’s true. If I could not speak Chinese, I could not have found a job. What can you do if you do not speak fluent Chinese?
Anzu: I don’t know. I may run a small shop.
Hamu: I might work as a therapist and do massage if I could not speak Chinese. By mastering the Chinese language, I have gained access to more opportunities.
Chen Weining, a Chinese in Morocco
I feel that the change is quite big. Many Chinese tourists have come to Morocco for sightseeing, bringing employment opportunities to the Moroccans and also to the Chinese in Morocco.
It is quite common for you to come across Chinese people on the streets of Morocco and you will not feel surprised when some young Moroccans greet you by saying Nihao.
Rough estimates show that nearly 1000 Moroccans can speak fluent Chinese. They are working hard to enhance the mutual understanding between the two peoples.
Huang Meigui, a tourist from Jiangsu
The Moroccans are very curious about the Chinese culture because there are many Moroccans like Yaxin who are interpreting and communicating. The Moroccans’ acceptance of the Chinese culture has evolved from opening a window in the past to opening a door at present.
Sartre, Manager of Jett Overseas Purchasing Company, Morocco
Since China launched the Belt and Road initiative, my colleagues have introduced a number of equipment manufacturers from China, especially from Jiangsu, who brought more affordable products and quality products that were superior to those made in Europe and the United States. They are not only honest and reliable business partners, but also friends who can work together for shared development.
In 2018, the bilateral trade volume between China and Morocco was 4.39 billion US dollars, an increase of 14.7%, setting a record high. In the meantime, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Morocco has increased from less than 20,000 per year to 180,000. China has become an important Asian source country for Morocco's tourism industry.
