A Historic Meeting Between East and West: The First Encounter Between King Hassan II and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1963

ALDAR/

On the morning of December 28, 1963, at exactly 11:30 a.m., the palace of King Hassan II in Rabat, the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, witnessed a remarkable diplomatic moment that would be etched into the history of Moroccan-Chinese relations. On that day, the young King Hassan II officially welcomed Zhou Enlai, the Premier of the People’s Republic of China, in their first-ever meeting.

This meeting took place during a time when the international order was undergoing significant changes, amidst the Cold War tensions and the rise of national liberation movements across Africa and Asia. Morocco, having regained its independence only a few years earlier, was striving to solidify its international standing and expand its network of alliances with both major and emerging powers.

China, on the other hand, had begun opening up to the Third World and saw Morocco as a key partner in North Africa—one that held a strategic geographic position between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and growing diplomatic influence in both African and Arab affairs.

During the meeting, the two leaders exchanged views on a range of regional and international issues, emphasizing the importance of cooperation among developing nations and strengthening solidarity among the peoples of the Global South. They also discussed ways to support liberation movements and to foster economic and cultural ties between their countries.

This encounter was more than a ceremonial meeting—it marked the beginning of a gradually evolving Moroccan-Chinese relationship that would expand over the following decades to include various fields, from trade to political and cultural cooperation.

That moment stood as a vivid example of the determination of two ambitious nations to build bridges of understanding and collaboration beyond the traditional confines of the Cold War, seeking to establish partnerships based on mutual respect and shared interests.