Chinese navy concludes visit to Morocco

CASABLANCA, Morocco - The 13th Escort Taskforce of the Chinese navy on Saturday ended a five-day visit to Morocco.

The visit was successful and helped further boost the traditional friendly ties between China and Morocco, said Li Xiaoyan, commander of the escort taskforce.

During the visit, Li met Inspector of Morocco's Royal Armed Forces, Abdelaziz Bennani, and Mohamed Laghmari, Inspector General of the Navy.

Cultural exchange activity was also held between local university students and the visiting Chinese navy. The students said they were impressed by the kung fu shows and the Chinese Lion Dance performed by the navy officers.

"The performances by the Chinese navy are really fascinating, and I love Chinese culture," said Arwa, a first-grade university student who is currently learning Chinese at the Confucius Institute at the Mohamed-V University.

Morocco is the third leg of the escort taskforce's nation-visiting agenda. After concluding its visit to Morocco, the taskforce will head for Portugal and France.

Chinese warships have undertaken anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia since December 2008. To date, the Chinese navy has succeeded in escorting more than 5,000 merchant ships.