Morocco becomes the unlikely first stop for Chinese tea exports as they find their way into global markets through Belt and Road
- Morocco imported 77,562 tonnes of Chinese tea last year, almost a quarter of China’s total tea exports
- Most of the 20 largest export markets of Chinese tea – except the US in fourth place and Japan in 11th – lie along the BRI route
Jinli Tea, a small company in the Hubei provincial city of Lichuan, has become the first Chinese company to operate a branch in the northern African nation of Morocco, as it takes advantage of the Chinese government’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to expand offshore in search of growth opportunities.
Jinli now operates five packaging lines in Morocco with the annual capacity for 3,000 tonnes of tea, after investing US$8.2 million in the country since late 2015. The Moroccan branch contributed about 60 million yuan (US$9 million) of revenue last year, said Jinli’s chief executive Wang Qimao.
“Our main products are still for export, so we went to Morocco and thought we must open the western Africa market through the country,” Wang said in an interview with South China Morning Post in Lichuan.
With a population of 36 million people, Morocco is the gateway to northern and western Africa, importing 77,562 tonnes of Chinese tea last year, about one fifth of China’s total tea exports, according to the China Tea Marketing Association.
China shipped 364,742 tonnes of tea abroad last year. Most of the 20 largest export markets of Chinese tea – except the US in fourth place and Japan in 11th – lie along the BRI route, which mirrors the ancient Silk Road that links China with Europe and Africa.