סין מציפה את השוק העולמי בליתיום זול כדי לחסל את המתחרים

Waging a price war to kill competition, that's the strategy Beijing is using to keep the U.S. dependent on Chinese lithium. How does it work? Beijing flooded the global market with an oversupply of the chemical element, driving prices low to stifle global competition. Now a high-ranking State Department official, Jose Fernandez, Undersecretary for Economic Growth, is sending out a warning. Lithium is critical for making electric vehicles batteries and China dominates two-thirds of global production. China's tactic worked to flood the market and drop prices. Coupled with a drop in demand for electric cars, lithium prices plunged over 80% last year. Lithium producers around the world have been struggling, scaling back production and cutting jobs. Fernandez said Beijing's move is a response to the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act. The bill aims to speed up domestic clean energy manufacturing. China dominates the green energy supply chain. Fernandez noted the low price hurts the U.S. ability to diversify supply chains. It also hurts countries like Portugal, as they looked for investment to develop their own lithium industries. Portugal is Europe's biggest lithium producer. Fernandez said the U.S. wants to help struggling lithium mining companies survive the predatory pricing.