Morocco gave a royal welcome to visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, who met the king for talks on trade and other issues.
A cannon fired 21 blasts in Hu's honor on Monday as King Mohammed VI welcomed him to his royal palace in the capital, Rabat. Moroccan military brass, government ministers and foreign ambassadors to Morocco lined up along a red carpet to shake hands with the Chinese president on Monday.
Hu and the king mounted a small tent-covered platform while a military band played and guards in bright orange cloaks stood to attention, clutching spears.
The two leaders signed a package of accords on economic, technical, scientific, cultural and medical cooperation, the Moroccan Communications Ministry said. Hu's stop in Morocco was part of a trip that has also taken him to the US and Saudi Arabia, and will also see him visit Nigeria and Kenya.
Morocco-China trade has grown rapidly -- reaching US$1.48 billion last year, according to Chinese figures. But Morocco is concerned about what it says is a growing trade imbalance.
China was Morocco's sixth-biggest supplier last year, but only its 20th most important market, according to the official Moroccan news agency, MAP.
Hu's visit follows a trip by Mohammed VI to China in 2002 and a trip by Hu's predecessor, Jiang Zemin, to Morocco in 1999.
Monday's ceremony at the palace preceded a state dinner. Yesterday, Hu was to travel to the commercial capital Casablanca to visit a mosque and meet with business leaders.
In Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Hu said that conflicts in the Middle East should be settled politically, and expressed China's readiness to work with Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries to bring peace and growth to the turbulent region.
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