Beyond the usual suspects, these unlikely nations are cashing in on trade tensions:
1. Poland:
- Became EU’s #1 electronics assembler (replacing Hungary)
- Intel’s $4.6B chip testing facility near Wrocław
- Chinese EV makers using Poland as EU backdoor (37% export surge)
2. Morocco:
- Automotive exports to EU up 89% (Stellantis/Renault expansion)
- “Africa’s Detroit” now produces 700K vehicles annually
- Solar panel component shipments to US tripled
3. Indonesia:
- Nickel processing boom fuels 72% battery material export growth
- Tesla’s $5B investment in Sulawesi EV ecosystem
- TikTok shifting Chinese merchant operations to Jakarta
Risks Ahead:
- Overdependence fears (Morocco’s auto sector now 44% of GDP)
- Sustainability concerns (Indonesia’s nickel mining deforestation)
- Geopolitical tightropes (Poland balancing US/EU/China interests)
