Tea Diplomacy

　　Last November， China and Morocco celebrated their mutual passion for tea by opening the exhibitionTea， a Shared Culture Between Morocco and China， atthe Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah Museum in Essaouira.This event， which runs until July 15， came in a yearthat marked the 55th anniversary of the establishmentof diplomatic relations between the two countries. Itwas organized by the Moroccan Ministry of Cultureand China’s State Administration of Cultural Heritage inpartnership with the Essaouira-Mogador Associationand the China National Tea Museum.

　　In addition to presenting ceremonial aspects of thetea ritual， it also tells us everything about preparationand consumption customs in both countries. Visitorsexplore these themes through paintings， pictures，educational panels or archaeological and ethnographicobjects. Although it might seem trivial， this initiativeunderlines the close cultural ties between China andMorocco as well as their willingness to establish anexpanded bilateral cooperation， not only in the field ofculture but also in other key areas such as trade andeducation.

　　A shared culture

　　Described by Lu Yu in his Cha Jing (The Classic of Tea)as a drink that “tempers the spirit and harmonizes themind， dispels lassitude and relieves fatigue， awakensthought and prevents drowsiness， lightens andrefreshes the body and clears the perceptive faculties，”tea plays a major role in the daily life of Chinese andMoroccan people. However， the two countries havetheir own history and traditions when it comes to thisbeverage.

　　In China， tea has an ancient history closely tied tobeliefs and traditional practices whereas its introductionin Morocco dates back to the 18th century. Thefirst real historical evidence of the use of tea in Chinagoes back more than 3，000 years ago. Tea culturewas then influenced by Confucianism， Taoismand Buddhism. After long being considered aluxury product only affordable to Chinese elites，tea ended up being exported worldwide， and itis precisely through the port of Essaouira(formerly Mogador) that tea leaves broughtfrom China were introduced to Moroccofor the first time， under the reign of SultanSidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah. Thus， thechoice of this city to host the exhibitionmakes perfect sense.

　　Three centuries later， in 2010， Morocco becamethe largest importer of Chinese greentea and the second largest consumer of teain the world， after China. The plant is indeedused to prepare the famous Moroccan minttea， a symbol of hospitality throughout thecountry.

　　In 2013， worldwide exports of Chinesetea reached 325，800 tons for a total productionof 1.68 million tons. Among thesix major families of Chinese tea - whitetea， red tea， green tea， black tea， yellowtea， oolong tea - green tea is undoubtedlythe flagship of the Chinese exportmarket. According to the Blue Bookof Tea Industry 2013 published by theSocial Sciences Academic Press ofChina， it accounts for nearly 80 percentof the total exports of Chinese teain the world. Besides， Morocco alone absorbs nearly 20percent of the total exports of Chinese green tea， whichrepresents several tens of thousands of tons each year.

　　But tea is much more than a simple product that helpsboosting Sino-Moroccan bilateral trade. In recent years，it has become a tool for promoting friendship betweenthe two peoples.

　　The tea bridge for friendship

　　During the opening ceremony of the exhibition onNovember 25， 2013， Sun Shuzhong， Chinese Ambassadorto Morocco， told the Moroccan News Agencythat tea could serve as a bridge for friendship betweenthe two countries. In fact， the joint organization of thisexhibition is only the first step toward an extensivecooperation for the creation of a national tea museumin Essaouira. Indeed， in June 2012， the Chinese Governmenthad already committed to supporting the MoroccanMinistry of Culture and Essaouira-MogadorAssociation in this project， especially by providingits expertise. China is so far the only countrywith a world-class national tea museum. TheChina National Tea Museum opened in 1991in Hangzhou， Zhejiang Province. It is nowmanaged by the largest research center fortea in China. Consequently， China seemedto be the ideal partner for the project creatinga national tea museum in Morocco.

　　The benefit for Morocco lies in thepossibility of developing its national herit-age with all the necessary resources. For China， thispartnership is an opportunity to show its willingness toincrease cooperation with a country that offers attractiveinvestment and exchange opportunities in areassuch as infrastructure and tourism.

　　Toward greater cooperation

　　The preface to the exhibition held in Essaouira statesthat “as a messenger of peace， tea will play an increasinglyimportant role in the economic， political and culturalexchanges between China and Morocco.” The factthat 71 pieces from the China National Tea Museumof Hangzhou were sent to Morocco for this exhibitionshows increasing signs of cultural cooperation，as does the visit of Moroccan tea specialists to China inthe context of partnership for the construction of a teamuseum in Essaouira. Besides， in December 2013， SunShuzhong called once again for increasing exchangesin the art and culture field.

　　Not only have mutual visits of artistic groupsbetween the two countries grown steadily in recentyears， but education is now a major element in bilateralcooperation as Morocco has two Confucius Institutesand 10 cities paired with Chinese partner cities. Inaddition， the Chinese-Moroccan Investment Forum organizedon March 31， 2014， in Casablanca， highlighteda great potential for economic cooperation. Chinesecompanies have already been involved in coastalfisheries， plastic processing and construction of roads，ports and telecommunications facilities for severalyears in Morocco， and their interest in the banking sectorand new technologies is growing rapidly.

　　According to Sun， Sino-Moroccan bilateral tradevolume stood at 29.21 billion dirhams ($3.59 billion)in 2013， with Morocco’s exports to China representing2.9 billion dirhams ($360 million)， an increase of 20.9percent compared to the previous year. Despite thisupward trend， the figures show a major imbalance intrade between the two countries. Massive imports ofChinese green tea also contribute to the Moroccantrade deficit. Thus， beyond the process of enhancedcooperation， it seems necessary to adopt a trade rebalancingstrategy to make this friendship evenmore durable and help establish a real win-win relationship.