As China faces fierce competition for lithium resources in Australia and South America, Africa has become a new target for Beijing’s hunt for the mineral. The rapid expansion of Chinese lithium capacity in Africa is drawing increasing attention, prompting a call for stepped-up American investment to counter the Chinese presence on the African continent. Meanwhile,…

A Chinese-dominated mining company has procured millions of dollars in American subsidies to extract lithium in the United States—but, given a dearth of U.S. processing capacity, the mineral is likely to be sent to China with no guarantee that the end product would return as batteries to power President Biden’s envisioned green economy. Critics say…

China’s control over the global lithium supply chain presents elevated risks to downstream U.S. companies as Chinese companies continue to expand their footprints in overseas lithium mines. “We love our suppliers, and we have a very strong relationship, but we are very dependant on the supplies coming from China. … We think there are risks…