A Chinese base suddenly emerges in Morocco! The EU is alarmed—the strategic foothold poses a serious threat!
On May 31, the Financial Times published a major report titled “The EU Worried About China’s Industrial Base Construction in Morocco.” The report revealed that Chinese enterprises have invested approximately $6 billion in Morocco. An industrial new city located near Tangier, a northern port of Morocco, is rapidly transforming into a forward base for Chinese new energy vehicle manufacturing entering Europe.
Facing this “bypass route,” EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič bluntly stated it constitutes a “very, very significant risk.” Brussels suddenly realized that while they had been painstakingly building tariff barriers against China, a massive Chinese industrial force had quietly relocated factories right to Europe’s doorstep—Morocco.
Morocco holds two priceless documents for exporters: a free trade agreement with the EU and another with the United States. This means goods produced in Morocco can gain access to both European and American markets simply by bearing the label “Made in Morocco.”
Morocco is aggressively expanding its openness, offering a five-year corporate tax exemption and leveraging green energy to dramatically reduce carbon tariffs on exports to the EU. According to data from French business media, industrial output in the Tangier Mediterranean Zone reached $18.8 billion in 2025, with automotive manufacturing alone contributing $12.5 billion. Morocco is rising across North Africa as a new global manufacturing hub.
Yet the EU cannot simply ban Moroccan exports outright. Renault Group and Stellantis Group both operate large-scale factories in Morocco and are heavily dependent on local supply chains. European industry fears that sanctions might burn down their own supply chains. When questioned by the Financial Times, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association offered no comment at all—completely silent. This fully exposes the internal contradiction of Brussels’ trade protectionist policies, which are now backfiring on European businesses.
Moreover, a new geopolitical landscape in industry is taking shape. Chinese enterprises are not entering Europe under the identity of “Made in China,” but instead are relocating entire industrial systems directly to regions adjacent to the EU. France’s BNP Paribas specifically pointed out that the EU is increasingly betting on nearshoring—Turkey, Morocco, Ukraine, and the Balkans are absorbing more of the EU’s export share than before. But in practice, this also provides China with convenient access to local origin rules. Morocco is becoming the pivotal node in the three-point chain: “Made in China, Assembled in Africa, Sold in the EU.”
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866755050320908/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.