15% of global Chinese tea ends up in Moroccan teapots

Morocco remains the undisputed champion of Chinese tea imports. In February, the Kingdom absorbed 15% of Beijing’s total sales, far outpacing powers like Japan or the United States. According to Les Inspirations Éco, this performance reflects the deep-rooted nature of this beverage in Moroccan rituals and the strength of Sino-Moroccan trade relations.

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Behind the Moroccan leader, Mauritania and Côte d’Ivoire each capture 7% of Chinese exports. Germany (5%) and Russia (3%) complete the picture, despite a sharp increase in Russian volumes. In 2025, the global Chinese tea market reached $1.55 billion, driven by a nearly 12% increase in exported quantities, or about 419,000 tons.

The Zhejiang province dominates production with 185,000 tons shipped, followed by Anhui and Hunan. In the 2025 annual ranking, Morocco outpaces Senegal, Malaysia and Algeria. These top ten buyers account for more than 60% of the value of China’s exports, confirming the Kingdom’s strategic role as a hub in North Africa.

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This dynamic is based on the "Belt and Road" initiative, joined by Morocco in 2017. Tea has become the most visible symbol of this strengthened economic partnership. Every year, hundreds of containers of green tea reach Moroccan ports to supply the daily rituals of the medinas, combining a millennia-old tradition and robust trade agreements.