IGCC Holds Training and Dialogue on Chinese Innovation and Industrial Policy in Morocco

From Sept. 9 – 11, the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) held an executive training course on Chinese Innovation and Industrial Policy at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Rabat, Morocco. Hosted at the university’s Public Policy School, the workshop was part of a series of training courses offered annually by IGCC that provide early and mid-career professionals a comprehensive and nuanced view of China’s innovation and industrial policy system, and its evolution since Xi Jinping came to power.

Lying at the crossroads between Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, Morocco is a key strategic player in the region and has been strengthening partnership ties with China. With cooperation expanding to encompass both the economic and defense spheres, Morocco and its neighbors are grappling with how to navigate the intensifying competition between China and the United States and craft development strategies in ways that can both expand and diversify economic partnerships with China, while at the same time maintaining robust ties with the European Union and the United States.

“China’s role in North Africa, particularly Morocco, is set for a transformation,” said Abdelaaziz Aït Ali, who joined the training course as a speaker and serves as a principal economist and head of the Research Department at the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), a think tank headquartered on the UM6P campus. “As China looks to secure its access to the world’s largest markets, like the EU and the U.S., Morocco emerges as the ideal gateway to these Western economic powerhouses. It is essential for policymakers, civil society, and academia to gain a thorough understanding of China’s approach and Chinese systems to foster more effective collaboration.”

Over the course of three days, presentations led by UC San Diego professor and IGCC director Tai Ming Cheung, professors Barry Naughton and Stephan Haggard (also of UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy), and Rebecca Arcesati, lead analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, delved into the evolution, structure, and impact of China’s innovation and industrial policy system. Naughton’s sessions analyzed China’s transition from a market-oriented economy to a state-led system that is fundamentally altering the nature of the economy. Naughton evaluated the risks of this shift, and particularly the heavy-handed nature of state intervention in pursuit of science and technology self-sufficiency. Cheung’s sessions focused on China’s strategic thinking in science, technology, and innovation, highlighting key documents like the Innovation-Driven Development Strategy that are shaping China’s technological development pathways. Cheung explained how China has effectively centralized innovation and project mobilization behind the goal of national security and technological catch-up.

Arcesati examined China’s artificial intelligence (AI) strategy, exploring its competitive positioning globally and its presence within the developing world. She noted that while China has made significant advancements in AI, it faces challenges in becoming fully self-reliant, especially as global technology markets continue to decouple.

Haggard stepped back to take a wider look at the Asia-Pacific region. He reviewed the track record of the East Asian developmental states and how their industrial policies could offer lessons for other nations. A key lesson was that while openness to trade and investment was important, so was state capacity and policies to increase the capacity of national firms.

The course also facilitated discussions about how Morocco can navigate its development strategy amidst geopolitical uncertainties, including the deepening rift between the United States and China. Each day of the training concluded with sessions led by scholars from UM6P and PCNS who specialize in economics, international relations, history, and development studies. These discussions widened to include geostrategic concerns, including U.S. grand strategy toward China and the links between economics, security, and industrial policy. The experts reflected on China’s growing economic engagement with Morocco and the benefits and risks of closer engagement with China’s Belt-and-Road Initiative.

“China’s policies and its growing influence present both opportunities and challenges for Morocco and Africa,” said Khalid Chegraoui, an historian and senior fellow at PCNS and vice dean of political sciences and international relations at the Faculty of Governance, Economic and Social Sciences at UM6P. “While these policies can drive economic growth, technological advancement, and infrastructure development, African nations must carefully manage the risks to maintain strategic autonomy and security. On the other hand, Africa’s historical partners in the West must respect the continent’s evolving needs and positions. Rather than asking Africa to choose between China and the West, the West should open its agenda to include Africa, offering consideration and a meaningful place in global decision-making.”

The course was attended by 32 scholars and professionals from across Morocco, with select participants joining from professional bases in Togo and Cameroon. The group included professionals from government agencies, the private sector, the banking sector and venture capital firms, the military, and academic institutions.

Mathêvi Attiglah, a participant from Togo who serves as the senior program associate and project analyst at the Swiss Association for Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets, reflected that: “The course was helpful in understanding the impact of Chinese industrial policies and technological advancements on local businesses and the opportunities and challenges local entrepreneurs face, especially in the current context of competition with foreign firms. On a personal level, the discussions with like-minded peers from Morocco, along with the experts from UM6P and IGCC, were incredibly enlightening. I learned a lot from how Morocco is shaping its industrial policies to benefit key sectors such as the automotive industry—particularly electric vehicles—and from the experiences of the U.S. and EU in managing their relationships with Chinese partners.”

Stephan Haggard summed up the IGCC view: “These trainings are hardly one-way exercises. I came away with a more nuanced understanding not only of Morocco, but of the abiding concerns of developing countries in the future of global governance.”

The team from IGCC was also invited to participate in a public dialogue with students from UM6P and scholars at  PCNS. During the lively session, professors Naughton, Cheung, and Haggard, together with Arcesati, considered what intensified U.S.-China competition might mean for Africa. The event drew multiple roomfuls of enthusiastic young students, including the Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, eager to engage with the experts on how they view the role of the United States in Africa. The dialogue was marked by thought-provoking questions, including on the diffusion of power and the need for the United States to develop a more coherent strategy toward the New South.

“The conference offered valuable insights from experts on China’s growing role in global politics, especially economic, security and technological dimensions,” said Cristina Alves, an associate professor at UM6P who also moderated the conference. “For a Moroccan academic audience, where knowledge about China is still limited, this exchange provided a rare opportunity to understand better its impact on the international stage.”

IGCC will hold another training course in December in New Delhi on the geo-strategic, national security, and economic dimensions of China’s rise. The course will cover a wide assortment of topics ranging from China’s efforts to integrate its military and civilian economies through its military-civil fusion (MCF) strategy, to Chinese innovation and industrialization development efforts that include civilian, defense and dual-use sectors. The course will help participants gain a robust understanding of the goals of the China’s MCF system, the implications and risks to their country, and best practices on steps needed to protect their emerging technology enterprise.

Lindsay Shingler is associate director at the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC).