China-funded smart city to bring tech and jobs to Morocco

The new industrial district of Mohammed VI Tangier Tech City, a joint Chinese-Moroccan project, is taking shape in northern Morocco's coastal city of Tangier.

The project was one of many agreed between China and Morocco during the visit of Morocco's King Mohammed VI to China in 2016.

Construction began in the second half of last year and the new city will eventually cover approximately 2,000 hectares and host over 200 multinational companies in a range of free trade industrial zones, technology hubs, residential areas and commercial spaces.

"The investment we are seeking is basically around automotive parts and new energy related industries. This aligns with the current trend of Chinese companies going global and Morocco's national strategy to strengthen its automotive supply chain and expand the new energy sector," said Yan Bin, General Manager of the Morocco Office at China Road and Bridge Corporation, one constructor of the project.

The first 500 hectares of the project are currently under construction with over 80 percent of the land already allocated to around 20 multinational companies.

"Our settlement here has been warmly welcomed by the local government as we bring advanced technology, which fills a gap in Morocco's green industry initiative. Our entry has also attracted related upstream and downstream companies, which is a crucial step in building the industry's ecosystem," said Peter Yang, General Manager of BTR Mediterranean New Material Technology.

When it's finished, the 300-million-U.S. dollar project will directly create 100,000 local job opportunities and around 300,000 indirectly, those involved in the project say.

The new tech city is not only for Chinese and Moroccan companies, but also welcomes companies from other countries. As Morocco has bilateral free trade agreements with the European Union and the United States, the smart city could help boost global industrial and supply chain connectivity.

China-funded smart city to bring tech and jobs to Morocco

Dense crowds of people decked out in maple leaves and waving a sea of Canadian flags put their elbows up for Canada on Saturday at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto to push back against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and his threat to make Canada the 51st state.

The rally, dubbed "Elbows up, Canada!" aimed to call on Canadians to unite to defend national sovereignty and dignity and oppose the U.S. imposition of tariffs on goods imported from Canada as well as Trump's remarks threatening Canada's sovereignty, according to organizers.

"I am a proud Canadian and I believe that we have to stand up for our country, our way of life, our parliamentary system, our legal system, our bilingualism, our multiculturalism for our indigenous people. And it's under threat from the United States, from the administration of the United States. I think the threat of annexation is real. I think it's in the mind of President Trump, that annexation is a distraction from the real problems of America. And there are real problems, there's no doubt about it," said Doug Bennett, a demonstrator.

The hockey phrase "elbows up", which originated with the legendary player Gordie Howe, became a national rallying cry this month after Canadian actor and comedian Mike Myers, clad in a "Canada is not for sale" T-shirt, mouthed the words when performing on Saturday Night Live.

"It's a hockey term for when you want to get rough in the game. It's symbolic for, 'we will defend ourselves'," said Andrew, a demonstrator who showed the hockey defense gesture.

"I believe that Canadians are resilient and we're ready to defend our country," said Salmon, a young man holding a placard that read "Elbows up".

Canadians rally to protest Trump's tariffs, annexation threats