In 1960, then Crown Prince Moulay Hassan of Morocco delivered a powerful speech at the United Nations urging the inclusion of the People's Republic of China, emphasizing fairness and global peace. Flashback. Did you know that King Hassan II of Morocco, then Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, once stood before the United Nations to advocate for the inclusion of the People's Republic of China? This historic moment from the early 1960s was recently revisited by Chinese media, which shared rare footage of his compelling speech supporting China's rightful place at the UN. At the time, the young Crown Prince was representing Morocco at the 886th plenary meeting of the United Nations, held on October 4 during the 15th General Assembly in New York. Official UN records show that the session featured speeches from Spain's permanent representative, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Dutch Foreign Minister, and Crown Prince Moulay Hassan himself. Speaking in French, the Crown Prince opened his address by expressing the honor of representing Morocco and King Mohammed V as head of the Moroccan delegation. «My country will do its utmost to adopt a mature, conscientious, sympathetic and understanding approach to the problems before us—problems which are crucial to world peace and to the lives of future generations», he declared. In his speech, the Crown Prince expressed concern over the fragile balance of power and the pace of global change, urging the Assembly to move beyond long-winded deliberations and instead adopt swift, pragmatic decisions. His speech also highlighted the challenges faced by newly independent, underdeveloped countries caught in Cold War rivalries, and called on the international community to show adaptability and resolve. Morocco's call for the admission of the People's Republic of China A key focus of his address was the situation of the People's Republic of China. «While putting forth all its genuine and praiseworthy efforts to reach a just settlement of the Congolese problem, can the United Nations not turn its gaze upon itself... and revise its position concerning the People's Republic of China?» he asked. «Is it really fair», he continued, «that 600 million individuals, a third of the world's population, should not be represented among us?» In a bold and forward-thinking appeal, the prince urged the UN to «be realistic, to face the problem squarely and to admit the People's Republic of China among us», arguing that its participation in UN affairs would be far more constructive than its exclusion. Morocco's position would prove prescient. In 1971, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, officially recognizing the PRC as «the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations», replacing the Republic of China (ROC). Morocco was among the 26 African countries that voted in favor of this historic decision, fulfilling the call Crown Prince Moulay Hassan had made more than a decade earlier.
