The White House Places Morocco in Trump’s Anti-China Crosshairs
The White House has just classified Morocco among around forty countries that could serve as conduits for Chinese exports to the United States. The kingdom even appears, alongside Kenya, among the only “African peripheral hubs” identified by Washington.
Morocco is cited in an official White House report published on August 13 by the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. Entitled “The Great Transshipment Scam,” the document describes the mechanisms enabling Chinese goods to circumvent certain US duties by passing through third countries.
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According to Washington, these practices developed after the Section 301 tariffs were introduced in 2018. Chinese products can be reshipped via another country after limited assembly, repackaging, a change of label or documents in order to benefit from lower duties.
The report divides around forty countries into three groups. Morocco appears in the third, that of the “small opportunistic Chinese targets,” which brings together economies possessing assets such as free-trade zones, port infrastructure, bonded warehouses or assembly capabilities.
Morocco and Kenya alone in the African category
In a second classification, Morocco and Kenya are the only two countries placed among the “African peripheral hubs.” The White House presents them as emerging platforms that could serve certain China-related flows.
The document nevertheless cites no Moroccan company, port, product or amount of goods that transited through Morocco. It therefore documents no specific case involving the kingdom.
Washington is simultaneously announcing the development of a “Detective Border” using artificial intelligence in particular to detect suspicious trade routes and guide customs inspections.
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For Morocco, the signal is clear: the kingdom is now on the American radar regarding the risks of circumventing duties applied to Chinese products.