News Analysis “China controls the processing of pretty much all the critical minerals, whether it’s rare earth, lithium, cobalt or graphite,” said Pini Althaus, CEO of USA Rare Earth It is estimated that mainland China has 75 percent to 80 percent of the global lithium battery supply. This is not a mistake. China may have missed the combustible engine revolution, but it will not miss the electric vehicle revolution. According to a 2021 report by Bloomberg NEF, “The Asian nation hosts 80% of all battery cell manufacturing capacity today, with capacity expected to more than double.” The report continued to add that China led the global lithium-ion battery supply chain ranking in 2021, and China is projected to lead the global ranking in 2026. This is primarily from continued investment, continued sales, and continued strong demand for lithium-ion batteries. As China controls 80 percent of all battery cell manufacturing capacity, …