By Souhail Karam and Peter Martin | Updated on Jun 12, 2026 at 01:46 PM
China asked Morocco to sign a free trade agreement, the North African nation’s industry minister said, as Rabat weighs whether closer economic ties with Beijing would benefit its export-oriented manufacturing sector.
“It is under reflection,” Industry and Trade Minister Ryad Mezzour said in an interview. Morocco is assessing the potential impact and hasn’t begun formal negotiations, he said.
China’s Ministry of Commerce didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment outside normal working hours.
Read More: China to Grant Zero-Tariff Access to 53 African Nations From May
Mezzour said a deal would offer local manufacturers greater access to the Chinese market and help the country diversify beyond Europe. Morocco has spent two decades building manufacturing industries including automobiles, aerospace and batteries, and has signed free trade agreements with dozens of markets and nations including the European Union and the US.
Any new agreement would require consultation with businesses and government stakeholders and would need to be assessed alongside Morocco’s existing trade relationships, Mezzour said.
“We need to evaluate what impact it would have on our economy” and how it might affect our other free trade agreements, he said.
A free trade agreement with Chile is also in the offing, the minister said. The pact would boost Moroccan exports such as automobiles to the South American Mercosur trade bloc, he said.
The comments come as European officials have raised concerns about growing Chinese manufacturing investment in Morocco, particularly in the supply chains of batteries. Mezzour dismissed those concerns, saying Morocco is open to foreign investments regardless of their origins.
Sign up here for the daily Next Africa newsletter and subscribe to the Next Africa podcast on Apple , Spotify or anywhere you listen .