Ningbo welcomes back two friends of China

International guests take a boat trip on Dongqian Lake. [Photo/Yongpai App]

For Moroccan doctor Mohamed Khalil and Mauritian representative Hans Seesaghur, a third visit to Ningbo was an opportunity to reconnect with old ties and explore new possibilities for cooperation.

Both took part in a cultural exchange program at Hanling Art Museum by Dongqian Lake on Nov 4 as part of the 2026 Global Mayors Dialogue.

Khalil, president of the Morocco-China Friendship and Exchange Association, first came to China in 1978 to study traditional Chinese medicine. Inspired by Chinese medical teams working in Morocco, he later earned a doctorate in medicine and founded a traditional Chinese medicine center in Casablanca. Having previously visited Ningbo's universities, factories, and hospitals, he found a different side of the city at Dongqian Lake, where contemporary art, traditional village architecture, and mist-covered lakeside scenery offered a glimpse of its cultural heritage.

Seesagur, former economic and commercial counselor at the Embassy of Mauritius in China and chief representative of the Mauritius Economic Development Board, also has longstanding ties with the country. After completing his undergraduate, master's, and doctoral studies at Wuhan University, he spent years working in China.

He sees people-to-people connections as a foundation for closer China-Mauritius relations, noting that around 30,000 people of Chinese descent live in Mauritius. In his current role, he hopes to help more Ningbo businesses explore opportunities in Mauritius.