Paris, November 14 (EFE) .- France and Morocco want to boost their cooperation in Africa to gain a foothold in this market in the face of the strength they have acquired in the continent. Africans like China, official French sources said today.

This collaboration will be one of the central axes of the XXIII High Level Meeting (RAN) to be held tomorrow and last in Rabat and that will be headed by the head of the French Government, Edouard Philippe, and his Moroccan counterpart, Saadedín Al Othmani.

"Given that there are extremely active extra-African partners, like China, we want to cooperate in Africa to take our place together in these markets, "said French official sources, who said that future projects are in a preliminary phase.

Collaboration in favor of youth and education will be the other two axes of a meeting that takes place every two years and serves to set a roadmap for the next few months and accelerate in areas of common interest.

In Morocco there are currently 800 subsidiaries of French companies, 33 of them belonging to the CAC-40, and the French Government emphasizes that the country has its experience to promote its modernization process.

The signing of a dozen agreements and protocols of intentions on security civil, transport, culture or sport will reinforce this cooperation in the medium and long term, in which the French Development Agency (AFD) also participates.

After the trip to Tunisia since his arrival in office last May, this is Philippe's second trip outside Europe, which will be accompanied by several ministers and some 40 French companies and will not meet with the King of Morocco, Mohamed VI, because the latter is traveling in Qatar.