China really seems to be living rent free in American heads. Why start with that comparison?
The article talks about 40,000 t/y of lithium carbonate. That’s 7,500 t/y of lithium content. Worldwide production of lithium is ~ 180,000 t/y. We are talking about a max 4% of the global supply. This will not “end China”.
China is not even the biggest lithium miner in the world. Both Australia and Chile produce more. The reason China is dominating batteries is manufacturing. China has an interest in more lithium extraction and low lithium prices.
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China really seems to be living rent free in American heads. Why start with that comparison?
The article talks about 40,000 t/y of lithium carbonate. That’s 7,500 t/y of lithium content. Worldwide production of lithium is ~ 180,000 t/y. We are talking about a max 4% of the global supply. This will not “end China”.
China is not even the biggest lithium miner in the world. Both Australia and Chile produce more. The reason China is dominating batteries is manufacturing. China has an interest in more lithium extraction and low lithium prices.